The political bickering in Benue State ahead of the 2019 general elections is causing ripples as hardly a day goes by without any form of accusation and counter accusation. The political gladiators, Gov. Samuel Ortom, and his estranged godfather, Senator George Akume, are engaged in a war of wits to undo each other. Henry Iyorkase, in this report, writes on the current political imbroglio in the North Central State.
In one of the most absurd ironies of Nigeria’s democracy, seven members of the Benue State House of Assembly, with the support of a detachment of Mobile Police from the Force Headquarters, Abuja, recently held plenary at the Benue State House of Assembly complex and suspended their 22 colleagues who defected with Gov. Ortom from the All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party . Equally, they resolved to impeach the governor for alleged misappropriation of public funds. But in a reaction, the governor described the move as a ‘wishful thinking’, saying it was null and void.
The former speaker, Mr. Terkimbi Ikyange, was impeached from office on July 26, 2018 by 22 out of the 30 members of the Assembly, accusing him of high handedness and abuse of office after recalling the recess that he (Ikyange) adjourned to August 15, 2018.
since Akume left the Makurdi Government House, his relationship with his godsons has never been without a crisis
To arrive at this decision, members had elected a Speaker pro-tempo, who presided over the session which produced Titus Uba as the new Speaker with other principal officers. However, the impeached Speaker had granted a press interview, describing his removal as ‘purported’ and of no effect, saying he remained the Speaker since due process was not followed in reconvening the Assembly.
To match words with action, the Titus Uba- led Benue Assembly approached a Makurdi High Court in a motion to restrain the former speaker, Ikyange, from parading himself and others as leaders of the Assembly pending the conclusion of the substantive suit.
Ruling on the motion, the High Court of Justice, Makurdi Division, presided over by the Chief Judge of Benue State, Mr. Justice Ada Onum, granted the motion restraining the former Speaker, Ikyange; former deputy speaker, Mr. James Okefe and former Majority Leader, Mr. Benjamin Adanyi, from parading themselves as principal officers of the Assembly pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Ruling on the ex parte motion brought before the court by the new speaker, Uba, and 21 other members of the Assembly, the judge said he found merit in the matter and consequently granted all the orders sought and further restrained the Police and Director of State Security Services from sealing off the premises of the Benue State House of Assembly and allow members to carry out their legislative activities without hindrance.
Justice Onum, in his ruling, had stated: “I have looked at the content of the affidavit and has no doubt in my mind that the applicants have made out a case that deserves the interim order sought to hold matters in status quo ante pending when the motion on notice will be determined.
“The Nigeria Police and DSS, either by themselves jointly or severally or by their joint or several agents/privies by whatever name known are hereby restrained from sealing off the premises of Benue State House of Assembly where the applicants carry out their legislative functions or in any manner howsoever interfering with the functions of the applicants.”
The Chief Judge then transferred the case to the vacation Judge of the High Court, Justice T.A Igoche, to determine the motion and substantive suit and fixed 6th of August 2018 for hearing.
However, on 30th July, 2018, the impeached Speaker, Ikyange, and six of his colleagues were aided into the Assembly complex where they held plenary and suspended the 22 other members and also resolved to impeach the state governor over alleged misappropriation of funds meant for payment of workers salaries and incompetence in governance, among
others.
Ikyange, who address a news conference at his residence at the Commissioners’ Quarters in Makurdi, stated that the governor had committed impeachable offences, ranging from allegedly obtaining loans, bail out funds as well as Paris Club funds but allegedly diverted same to his private use, hence the need to call him to account.
While the Ikyange group issued threats of impeachment, the 22 members, in the same vein, sat at the Government House, Makurdi under the speakership of Uba and suspended the seven members for violating the rules and proceedings of the House.
In a motion entitled ” motion for illegal sitting”, the Majority Leader, Avine Agbum, of Makurdi North, said last Friday, that the House sat and suspended Ikyange for gross misconduct, adding that the High Court also restrained him
from parading himself
and others from acting as principal officers but they defied the court order and sat on 30th July and therefore, the seven others should be suspended from sitting for a period of six months.
Supporting the motion, Rt. Hon. Kana Jato of Katsina – Ala East, said he was disturbed by the national leadership of APC and some as well as some members of the Benue State House of Assembly elected on
the platform of APC, saying they should be suspended over misconduct. He called on international community to come to the aid of Nigerians so as to sustain democracy even as he urged on Benue people to rise to defend the democratic system of government in the country.
In his contribution, the deputy speaker, Mr. John Ahubi Egli, noted that in its last sitting, the premises of the Assembly was blocked against other members by security agents, alleging that the federal government appears to be aiding the fraud as police allowed illegality when a few members were escorted into the chambers by armed police personnel . Egli, therefore, called on the Senate to come to the aide of Benue State House of Assembly so as to prevent injustice in the state as they will not be intimidated by the
few.
Agreeing with the majority leader, the House committee chairman on Information, Rt. Hon. Paul Biam (Ukum), said their action was in conformity with the rules of the House as the Titus Uba leadership with 22 members and took a decision but the suspended speaker continued to parade
himself as the dreamer even though the Chief Judge of Benue State had restrained Ikyange from parading himself as the
speaker.
It is worthy to note that since Akume left the Makurdi Government House, his relationship with his godsons has never been without a crisis.
First, Akume fell apart with his successor, Dr. Gabriel Suswam, in 2010, just before the 2011 election, following which Akume defected to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria
(ACN).
Similarly, the same scenario played out in the third year of Ortom. In 2014, Akume was accused of handing Ortom his party’s ticket thus sparking off a legal tussle by APC aspirants who had contested for the ticket.
Subsequently, the matter was settled out of court following an intervention from the Presidency.
