IZUNNA OKAFOR
The Honourable Member representing Ogbaru II Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze, has emerged the new Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
Hon. Udeze emerged as the Speaker on Monday, after he was unanimously elected by 30 members of the 8th Assembly at the State House of Assembly Complex in Awka, Anambra State capital.
His emergence came after he was nominated by the member representing the Ekwusigo Constituency, Hon. Ikenna Ofodeme, and seconded by his Awka North counterpart, Hon. Chimezie Ikwunne.
At the same event, which attracted Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and other personalities; the member representing the Awka South II Constituency, Hon. Chukwuma Okoye, emerged the Deputy Speaker of the House, following a voice vote by the lawmakers.
The duo were sworn-in by the Acting Clerk of the House, Esther Aneto, who also decorated the Speaker to succeed the outgone Speaker, Uchenna Okafor.
The new speaker, Hon. Udeze is a third-term member of the State House of Assembly, having been among the few members who won their re-election to the House in 2023.
Rt. Hon. Udeze became lawmaker as a member of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA). He later decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under which he won his re-election to the House in 2019.
This 2023, Udeze also won his third election as a PDP candidate; but has just recently defected back to APGA, just few days to the inauguration of the House —a political calculation that eventually yielded the expected result for him and made it possible for Anambra North Senatorial Zone to retain the Speakership position.
Recall that Anambra State Governor and the Deputy Governor are from Anambra South Senatorial Zone and Anambra Central Senatorial Zone respectively