Thirteen members of the Benue State House of Assembly have been suspended for three months due to what the Speaker called "Dishonorable actions capable of casting aspersions and causing acrimony in the House" that could sow discord within the House.
These suspended members will also need to return any money they received for a planned foreign trip, as they will no longer be going on that journey.
The House condemned the actions of one particular member, Mr. Douglas Akya, who represents Makurdi South, along with the other twelve. After they voted to remove the State Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambase, they held a press conference claiming they hadn’t supported that decision.
The Speaker, Chief Hyacinth Aondona Dajoh, announced the names of the suspended members, which include Mr. Akya, Mr. Jonathan Agbidye from Katsina-Ala East, Mrs. Beckie Orpin from Gboko East, and several others representing various constituencies.
In a recent meeting, the Majority Leader, Comr. Saater Tiseer reminded everyone that they had already heard complaints from the attorney general about serious issues concerning the Chief Judge, such as misconduct and corruption. After careful discussion, the House took a vote, where 23 out of 31 members agreed to remove the Chief Judge.
Mr. Tiseer pointed out that the thirteen suspended members had initially voted to support the Chief Judge’s removal, but then publicly distanced themselves from the decision, which went against the rules of the House. He emphasized that this behavior was misleading and potentially harmful, prompting him to call for their suspension for three months.