By Ita Williams, Calabar
The Cross River State House of Assembly Speaker, Hon. Elvert Anyambem, has been impeached amidst uproar.
The impeachment which took place in the early hours of Wednesday during plenary on the floor of the assembly followed a motion of urgent public interest moved by member representing Calabar South 1 State Constituency Hon Effiong Ekarika and seconded by member representing Bekwarra State Constituency, Hon Charles Omang.
In an impeachment letter signed by 17 of the 25 members of the House and read by Hon Omang, said the Speaker was removed because of gross misconduct, financial misappropriation, administrative high handedness, incompetence among others.
He said the Speaker’s removal from office is in line with Order 24 of the Rules of the Cross River State House of Assembly and pursuant to Section 92(2XC) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as altered.
He said, “having met the constitutional requirement of two-third majority, we the under listed members of the Cross River State House of Assembly hereby pass a vote- of-no- confidence on Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, Speaker of the House of Assembly and he is hereby removed”.
The lawmakers accused the Speaker of “gross financial misconduct, misappropriation of the sum of N48 million meant to pay NEPA (electricity) bills for the House of Assembly complex and the House of Assembly.
They also accused him of an alleged “misappropriation of 2 percent of all revenue collected by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) monthly for oversight functions of the House of Assembly in line with Section 18(a)(i) of the Cross River State Revenue Administration Law 2011 as amended to the tune of N404.683 million, misappropriation of the sum of N19.437 million from Local Government deduction and 11 months deductions which he wilfully failed to disclose to the members”.
The aggrieved legislators also accused the Speaker of incompetence, wrong conduct of plenary proceedings, un-parliamentary way of conducting proceedings and appointment of members to move or second motions allowing interested members to raise their hands.
The Assemblymen further alleged arbitrary approval of expenditure in flagrant breach of the provisions of Section 9(1) of the Cross River State Legislature Fund Management Law 2021, approvals beyond the limit which the Speaker can approve contrary to Section g(10) of the Cross River State Legislature Funds Management Law 2021.
Among other things, the 17 members of the Assembly also accused the Speaker of perpetual refusal to inaugurate the Legislative Funds Management Committee as required by Sections (1) of the Cross River State Legislature Funds Management Law 2021, total failure to convene leadership meetings which has only been once in 11 month since the inception of the House.
Meanwhile the embattled speaker is insisting that he remains the speaker dismissing allegations against him.