The thirteen members of the Benue State House of Assembly who were suspended on Wednesday by the House for opposing the removal of the State Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, have rejected their suspension declaring the resolution of the House as null, void and an attempt to subdue democracy and intimidate them.
They maintained that the House erred because it lacked the powers to suspend members beyond 14 days as provided in Order 10, rule 73 of the House.
Addressing the media in Makurdi, the lawmakers insisted that the House failed to give the Chief Judge fair hearing and also denied them fair hearing before arriving at its resolutions.
Speaking on behalf of the 13 lawmakers, Mr. Douglas Akya, representing Makurdi South Constituency, flanked by his colleagues said: “Yesterday (Tuesday) we disassociated ourselves from the purported removal of the Chief Judge of the State. We faulted the process which lacked equity and fairness because those principles were completely abandoned or ignored at yesterday’s (Tuesday) processings.
“Today we have been suspended for standing against the arbitrariness, unlawful and tyrannical practice by the House of Assembly.
“We are here to state in clear terms that we do not accept the suspension because the House of Assembly lacks the powers to suspend us beyond 14 days. It is indicated in the standing rules of the House, Order 10 rule 73 that no member of the House can be suspended beyond 14 days. The suspension therefore is null and void.
“You can also recall that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees the right to freedom of speech and fair hearing. The House, just like in the case of the Chief Judge, completely neglected this provision of the constitution. Fair hearing was not given to the Chief Judge and today fair hearing has not been given to us.
“In any case, we have the freedom as enshrined in the constitution to express our views freely without intimidation. Therefore our purported suspension is an attempt to subdue democracy, it is an attempt to intimidate us and therefore we refuse and reject the suspension in total.
“You may recall that the Speaker during plenary asked me in clear terms to sit down when I told them that the counting of the lawmakers who voted for and againt the removal of the Chief Judge was wrong.
“Before that, another lawmaker drew the attention of the House to the fact that the issue was a constitutional matter. Our rules provides that when it is a constitutional matter you allow that issue to be heard then you rule. That was not done.
“Again, by the rules of the House of Assembly, once the House is divided for counting, the rules provides that the counting has to be done in such a way that the list of those that voted for and against have to be clearly captured. That was also not done.
“So they did that so that they could circumvent the provisions of the law and the rules because they know that the rule does not permit the kind of voting that took place yesterday, especially where there is division in the House. They ought to have applied the principles as enshrined in our rules which they failed to do.”
The lawmaker resenting Gboko East, Becky Orpin also observed that “today at plenary the Speaker himself alluded to the fact that some of them voted with their two hands up, meaning there was abnormality.”
The 13 members listed for suspension by the Speaker included, Mr. Douglas Akya (Makurdi South), Mr. Jonathan Agbidye (Katsina-Ala East), Mrs. Beckie Orpin (Gboko East), Mr. Simon Gabo (Ushongo-Mata), Mr. Williams Ortyom (Agasha), Mr. Onah Blessed (Oju 1) and Mr. Elias Audu (Gwer East).
Others were Mr. Anyor Mato (Kwande East), Mr. Manger Manger (Tarka), Mr. Solomon Gyila (Gwer West), Mr. Samuel Agada (Ogbadibo), Mr. Abraham Jabi (Buruku) and Mr. Ezra Nyiyongo (Ukum).