The new Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Titus Ugba, has said that Governor Samuel Ortom is yet to be served an impeachment notice. He added that eight lawmakers cannot give impeachment notice and thereafter seek for signatures for impeachment.
Ugba stated this while speaking with journalists in Lagos, at the 2018 Conference of Speakers hosted by the Lagos State House of Assembly, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, yesterday.
He stressed that the eight lawmakers did not follow the due process in serving the governor an impeachment notice, adding that there was no plan to impeach the governor. According to him, the police have been given court order to vacate the assembly complex for the lawmakers to perform their legislative duties.
The Speaker expressed confidence in leading the assembly despite the crisis in the state, debunking the allegation against the governor on the payment of N20million to a Boko Haram suspect.
He alleged that the security apparatus at the IDPs camp have been withdrawn and that herdsmen have started coming back into Benue State.
Ugba added โBenue has once again demonstrated that democracy is a thing of the people. On the 24th of July to be precise, 22 members came together to say they are tired of what the previous Speaker was doing and now they made me the Speaker of Benue State House of Assembly.
โWhen I came here yesterday, I was not initially allowed to participate in the Speakers Conference but the speakers rose that I have to attend because it is not the Conference of Speakers that determines who is the speaker of the House. So, I was allowed because the conference is not partisan but coming together as a family to promote the unity of this country.โ
He stated further that โThe eight members in Benue State did not give the governor impeachment notice, they said they are looking for signatures to impeach him.
โYou canโt give impeachment notice before seeking for signatures of members for governorโs impeachment,โ he said.
