Benue assembly removes speaker

Terkimbi Ikyange (pictured), speaker of Benue state house of assembly, has been impeached.

At plenary on Tuesday, Richard Ujege, lawmaker representing Konshisha state constituency, moved a motion of no confidence on the speaker who was absent.

The motion was supported by 21 members out of the 30 members of the house.

Also impeached were James Okefe, deputy speaker and Benjamin Adanyi, majority leader, for alleged abuse of office and high-handedness.

Titus Ubah , the former chief whip, was elected as the new speaker, while Johnson Egli Ahubi was elected deputy speaker. Avine Agbum, representing Makurdi south, emerged majority leader.

On July 10, security operatives were drafted to the premises of assembly over alleged plot by members to impeach the speaker, but Ikyange dismissed it as a rumour and “handiwork of external influence in town”.

However, 22 members converged for an emergency meeting where the speaker and other principal officers were impeached.

Ubah, who spoke to reporters after the plenary, said, “The eighth assembly of Benue state is a house that has come to do what the people have elected them to do and once they notice that there is anything that would tarnish the image of the eighth assembly, the house will rise to that challenge and that is what the house has done today.”