Eight APC lawmakers take over Benue Assembly

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The Benue State House of Assembly have impeach Eight of 30 lawmakers served  notice on Governor Samuel Ortom.

The eight lawmakers also took control of the premises of the state parliament with the support of the police, Tahav Agerzua, a spokesperson for Mr Ortom said.

“They have taken over the House of Assembly and served the governor an impeachment notices despite a court order forbidding them from doing so,” Mr Agerzua told Neptune Prime.

Mr Agerzua said George Akume, a former governor and APC senator from the state, brought police officers from Abuja to use eight lawmakers to impeach a governor in a House of 30 lawmakers.

The crisis came a few days after Mr Ortom defected from the APC to the PDP.

It also came days after 23 PDP lawmakers impeached Speaker Terkimbi Ikyange.  He was accused of failing to carry other members along in legislative activities.

Mr Ikyange, who remained in the APC despite recent mass defection of his colleagues to the PDP, was said to have been impeached because he was no longer in the majority party.

Some of the majority House members who impeached him insisted it had nothing to do with his status as a minority lawmaker.

Benue State House of Assembly

Last week, PDP lawmakers said they were compelled to use the Government House in Makurdi to conduct legislative businesses after security agencies locked the state’s Assembly complex.The state’s police commissioner was changed last week.

In a related development the authentic Benue State House of Assembly ,The members have just suspended the seven members that had a kangaroo seating aided by the Nigerian police for the period of six Months. They include the following:
 Adanyi Benjamin
Terhemba Chabo
Benjamin Nungwa
Bem Mngutyo
Adams Okloho
James Okefe
Nick Eworo
The suspension motion was moved by the majority leader of the house Rt. Hon. Hon Avine Agbom  and seconded by Hon. Ianna Jato.
Recalled that the former speaker of the assembly was impeached last week with the majority of 22 members who append their signatures to that effect.
Also that a Makurdi High court presided by Hon. Justice Adam Onum, the Benue State Chief Judge issued an injunction restraining the impeached speaker Hon. Terkimbi Ikyange from parading himself as the speaker and to return all government property in his possession to the assembly.
The plenary is adjourned to 21st of August 2018

The mass defection of APC lawmakers in the House was in ancitipation of Mr Ortom’s planned defection to the PDP from APC, which eventually came last week.

Mr Akume did not immediately return requests for comments.

 

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