Abia State House of Assembly members-elect, have been urged to stop the State Governor, Alex Otti from imposing a stooge as the next Speaker.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Integrity Forum made the remark while charging members-elect of the House to stop Otti’s alleged attempt to produce a rubber-stamp Speaker.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Francis Nwite, the group said the state legislatures should pick a person with credible qualities as the next Speaker.
According to the statement: “We applaud the 11 PDP members-elect for their uncommon perseverance and unity of purpose to ensure that the independence of the 8th Assembly of Abia House remains the citadel of democracy devoid of Executive manipulation and rubber stamp leadership.
“The beauty of democracy revolves around the house to ensure that Governor Alex Otti must be able to remain accountable to Abians and loyal to the constitution of Nigeria.”
“First and foremost the House standing rules that designate only old ranking members to assume the position of Speaker should be annulled,” the group said