Benue Assembly Suspends 13 Lawmakers

The crisis rocking the Benue State House of Assembly over the removal of the Benue State Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambase, took a different dimension on Wednesday as the House suspended 13 lawmakers for opposing the majority decision of the parliament.

This is even as the 13 suspended members were also directed to refund funds previously allocated to them for an upcoming foreign trip, which they will no longer undertake.

The suspension followed a motion moved by the majority leader, Saater Tiseer, during a plenary session in Makurdi.

The majority leader noted that the assembly like any other legislature was a hallowed assembly of honourable personalities, stressing that on Tuesday the house was properly constituted with 31 members who signed the attendance book, and received a complaint from the Office of the Attorney-General.

He stated that the complaint detailed allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, bribery and corruption and other sundry allegations against Justice Ikpambese.

According to him, “After exhaustive deliberation, the house went into division where 23 members out of the 31 members present voted in support of the recommendation to remove Ikpambese as the Chief Judge of the state and the next-in-line Judical officer be sworn-in as the acting chief judge.

He further lamented that the collective action of the 13 members contravene the Standing Order IX, Rule 58 (6) which provided that it shall be out of order to attempt to reconsider any specific question upon which the house had concluded during the current session except upon a substantive motion for rescission.

He said, “We are worried that the actions of the members were not only dishonourable but an afterthought and a deceptive posture capable of causing acrimony and casting aspersions on the house.”
He listed the names of the suspended members to include the following; Mr Douglas Akya (APC/Makurdi South), Mr Jonanthan Agbidye (APC/Katsina -Ala East), Mrs Beckie Orpin (APC/Gboko East), Mr Simon Gabo (APC/Mata), Mr William Ortyom (PDP/Agasha) and Mr Emmanuel Onah (PDP/Oju I).
Others included; Mr Elias Audu (APC/Gwer East), Mr Anyor Matu (APC/Kwande East), Mr Manger Manger (APC/Tarka), Mr Solomon Gyila (APC/Gwer West), Mr Samuel Agada (APC/Ogbadibo), Mr Abraham Jabi (APC/Buruku) and Mr Ezra Nyiyongo (APC/Ukum).

The motion which was seconded by the Katsina/Ala -West representative, Peter Ipusu, said what their colleagues did was outright mischief because they attended and participated actively in the debate.
Ipusu added that they voted in favour of recommending the removal of the CJ and want to deny their active participation in the matter.

He stated that the suspended members should also refund the funds given to them for foreign trips by the Ministry of Finance because they would not be travelling with them since they were on suspension.

Meanwhile, the Makurdi North APC representative, Alfred Berger, stated that their colleagues had disparaged the Speaker, Dajoh, and the house, therefore they should remain suspended.

He stated that before their suspension could be lifted they should publicly declare that they participated in the legislative process which recommended their suspension.

Also speaking Kwande West APC representative Thomas Digeri pleaded that the suspension be reduced to one month.

In his ruling, the speaker Dajoh, said that he initially wanted to step the debate on the matter down to enable him to consult widely but the suspended members insisted that the matter should be debated to a conclusion, stressing that they even voted and wondered why they suddenly denied being a party to the process.

The speaker further directed the members to refund the money given to them for a foreign trip to the ministry of finance.

He said that the house condemned in strongest terms the dishonourable action of members which were capable of casting aspersions and causing acrimony in the state.