BREAKING: Benue Assembly suspends 13 lawmakers for supporting, then publicly opposing removal of CJ
Thirteen members of the Benue State House of Assembly have been suspended for opposing the removal of the state Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambase.
The 13 affected members had during plenary on Tuesday, dissociated themselves from the removal of Ikpambase, arguing that the purported removal of the chief judge was unconstitutional and violated the principles of separation of powers and fair hearing which is necessary for the sustenance of democracy.
However, at an emergency plenary on Wednesday, the House announced their suspension for an initial three months for their alleged dishonourable actions allegedly capable of casting aspersions and causing acrimony in the House.
The 13 members were said to have signed the petition to remove the CJ, but then later dissociated themselves from the move publicly.
“After exhaustive deliberations, the House went into a division where 23 members out of 31 present voted in support of the recommendation to remove the Chief Judge,” Tiseer said.
The Majority Leader added that after the House adopted resolutions on the matter, the 13 suspended members, some of which voted in support of the recommendation to remove Ikpambase, publicly dissociated themselves from the process in which they took part, thereby contravening Order IX, Rule 58(6) of the House Standing Rules.
He emphasized that their actions were not only dishonourable but an afterthought and a deceptive posture capable of causing acrimony and casting aspersions on the House and, among other prayers, called on the House to suspend them for a period of three months.
Speaker of the House, Hyacinth Dajoh, who announced the suspension of the 13 House members in a letter read on the floor of the House, condemned their actions, saying they had voted for the removal of the chief judge, only to go back and deny it.
“Some of the members after voting for the removal of the State Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambase, went back to address a press conference and denied voting in favour of the motion to remove the Chief Judge,” Dajoh said.
The Speaker listed those suspended as Douglas Akya (Makurdi South), Jonathan Agbidye (Katsina-Ala East), Beckie Orpin (Gboko East), Simon Gabo (Ushongo-Mata), Williams Ortyom (Agasha), Onah Blessed (Oju 1) and Elias Audu (Gwer East).
Others were Anyor Mato (Kwande East), Manger Manger (Tarka), Solomon Gyila (Gwer West), Samuel Agada (Ogbadibo), Abraham Jabi (Buruku) and Ezra Nyiyongo (Ukum).
