Some members of Abia State House of Assembly are threatening a showdown with Governor Theodore Orji for allegedly breaching an agreement with them over the impeachment of his deputy, Chris Akomas.

The Assembly impeached Akomas on August 2, 2010.

The assemblymen, who pleaded anonymity, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Umuahia that Orji and the lawmakers agreed that the impeached deputy governor’s replacement would be chosen from the legislature.

The assemblymen said they were ready for a total showdown, if Orji did not stop plans to appoint Chief Acho Nwakanma as the new deputy governor.

“This plan is a total breach of the agreement we reached with the governor at a meeting before embarking on the exercise. It is an olive for the entire Assembly to follow Orji to All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA,” they said.

They alleged that the governor “called us and told us that he is tired of working with Akomas and that he will prefer working with one of us as his deputy.

“We resolved in the meeting that the next deputy governor will come from the House.”

They added that Obingwa Local Government which had produced three deputies was excluded.

Obingwa had produced three of the four deputy governors since 1999, the first being Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who was replaced by late Dr. Chima Nwafor from Osisoma, who was equally removed.

Nwakanma, a former Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, handed over to Akomas in 2007 after replacing Nwafor, who was impeached, pardoned and later removed as deputy governor.

Abaribe and Akomas were impeached after resigning their positions.

They further explained that Obingwa had Abaribe in the Senate and Rep Eziuche Ubani, in the House of Representatives, adding that further appointment from the area meant marginalising others.

According to the assemblymen, if the governor does not want a showdown, he should respect the agreement with the lawmakers.

“We are warning the governor because any person other than a member of the Assembly, as agreed, will not get our nod. We are unanimous and resolute about it,” they said.

Sources explained that Orji should emulate the trend in Bayelsa and Bauchi States, stressing that Abia implemented the position when Nwakanma, a serving lawmaker, was appointed into the position.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Kingsley Emeruwa, when contacted, said that “we are not aware of any such agreement entered with the lawmakers.”

“The impeachment is an assembly affair and to say that there was an agreement is to say the least, that the governor sponsored the exercise.”

He said the Governor never asked anybody to impeach the Deputy Governor, saying that the claim was frivolous.

Another aide of the governor, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that “as far as the government is concerned, the lawmakers performed a constitutional duty of checks and balances on the executive’’.

“There is no string attached to the removal and the governor is duty bound to appoint anybody of his choice as his deputy,” the aide said.

Nwakanma, who is receiving pension as former deputy governor, has been penciled down for the appointment, and will be sent to the Assembly when it resumes on August 17.

On July 15, the Assembly commenced impeachment proceedings against Akomas and removed him from office on Aug. 2 after a panel found him guilty of gross misconduct.

The panel constituted by the state Chief Judge on July 23, sat only for three days, July 29 to July 31 and submitted a 25-page report.

Akomas had staged a walkout on the panel and later submitted a letter of resignation from the office.