Police, DSS storm Cross River Assembly following impeachment of Speaker Ayambem
By Emma Ogbuehi
The Nigeria Police Force, the Dragon Squad, and representatives of the Department of State Services have stormed the Cross River State Assembly complex following the free for all that ensued after the impeachment of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ekom Ayambem.
Ayambem, who represents Ikom 2 State Constituency in the Assembly, was impeached on Wednesday, May 22, by 17 members of the House over allegations of misappropriation of funds.
Members of the Assembly had complained about the Speaker’s behaviour and the way the Assembly was run.
The impeachment motion was moved by Hon. Effiom Ekarika representing Calabar South 1 Constituency and seconded by Hon. Omang Charles Omang representing Bekwarra State Constituency.
After impeaching him, the mace was taken away by the members.
Ayambem was elected speaker of the 10th Cross River State House of Assembly in June 2023.
The lawmakers cited gross financial misconduct, incompetence, noncompliance with legislative laws, and failure to convene leadership meetings as the grounds for Ayambem’s removal.
They accused him of inability to account for N48 million meant for electricity bills and over N404 million from the Internal Revenue Service designated for oversight functions.
They also alleged that the Assembly leadership had not been able to account for N20 million from local government deductions.
Those that impeached him also alleged incompetence and wrong conduct of plenary proceedings.
They further accused him of appointing members to move or second motions, rather than following the democratic practice of allowing members to volunteer.
According to the angry legislators, Ayambem did not comply with legislative laws.
They said he also violated the Cross River State Legislature Funds Management Law of 2021 by his arbitrary approval of expenditures beyond his authorized limit and the refusal to inaugurate the Legislative Funds Management Committee.
The fourth and final ground of his impeachment was anchored on the failure to convene leadership meetings, with only one of such meetings held in the past 11 months.
“This lack of engagement has been perceived as a neglect of duty and a failure to foster collaborative governance within the House,” they said.
The opposing law makers displayed Internal Revenue Service documents and photographs of a luxurious house under construction allegedly funded by embezzled funds, saying these further tainted the reputation of the former Speaker.
