Benue Assembly Suspends State CJ Over Alleged Corruption

The Benue State House of Assembly on Wednesday activated a ‘coup’ that saw the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Maurice Ahemba Ikpambese suspended from office over alleged corruption.

The House also recommended for immediate swearing in of the next-in-line judicial officer within the State as Acting Chief Judge of the state.

The decision to oust Justice Ikpambese was arrived at during a plenary presided by the Speaker, Chief. Hyacinth Aondona Dajoh.

The  of Justice Ikpambese, according to a correspondence sent to the House and read by the Majority Leader, Hon. Saater Tiseer, was that the legal luminary committed five grievous offences including “abuse of office by issuing a directive to overturn the Benue State Electoral Law passed by the Benue State House of Assembly and assented to by the Governor of the State.

“Misappropriation and mismanagement of the Budgetary Allocation and Finances of the Benue State Judiciary. Engagement with politicians and political office holders for favourable judicial outcomes.

“Indirect participation and incitement of the industrial actions against the State executive; as well as “Acts of bribery and corruption and undue favoritism and dire insistence on cronies holding unmerited positions”.

The House, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Terver Zamber, was divided into two and 23 out of 32 members reportedly voted for the removal of the Chief Judge.

But a drama ensued shortly after the ‘coup’ was perfected, as 13 aggrieved lawmakers led by the member representing Makurdi South constituency, Hon. Douglas Akya, addressed a news conference announcing their withdrawal from the purported suspension.

Following their withdrawal from Justice Ikpambese’s suspension, the House led by the Speaker, handed a three months suspension to the 13 parliamentarians for their indulgence in what the Speaker termed as their “dishonourable actions capable of casting aspersions and causing acrimony in the House”.

The House also condemned in the strongest terms the actions of the member representing Makurdi South Constituency, Douglas Akya, and Twelve others.

The House directed the Clerk to write the suspended members to refund the money already paid to them for the next month foreign trip to London, while they should be stopped from embarking in the trip with the rest of the members.

The speaker listed those suspended to include, 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 are: Mr. Anyor Mato (Kwande East), Mr. Manger Manger (Tarka), Mr. Solomon Gyila (Gwer West), Mr. Samuel Agada (Ogbadubo), Mr. Abraham Jabi (Buruku) and Mr. Ezra Nyiyongo (Ukum).

Earlier in a motion, the Majority Leader, Mr. Saater Tiseer recalled that they had in the last sitting, received a complaint from the Attorney-General detailing allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, bribery and corruption, and other sundry allegations against the embattled Chief Judge and after exhaustive deliberation the House went into a division where 23 members out of 31 present voted in support of the recommendation to remove the Judge.

In a swift reaction, the National Secretariat of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) via a statement and the state chapter of the association, condemned the purported suspension of Justice Ikpambese describing it as a complete travesty and breach of rule of law as well as a brazen assault on the constitution.

President of the NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN) and Dr. Mobolaji Ojibara General Secretary said “the 1999 Constitution clearly stipulates the processes for appointing and removing judicial officers. Specifically, Sections 153 and 271 establish the NJC as the body responsible for recommending the appointment and removal of state Chief Judges.

“The Constitution gives the NJC the exclusive power of exercising disciplinary control over judicial officers, by ensuring that any allegation of misconduct is thoroughly investigated and decided to maintain the integrity and independence of the judiciary.

“By purporting to have power to consider allegations of financial impropriety and abuse of office against the Chief Judge as well as recommending his removal, the Benue State House of Assembly exhibited crass knowledge of the provisions of the Constitution in that regard and clearly evinced an intention to trample on the Constitutional guardrails against such bad behaviour.

“It is disheartening that the Benue State House of Assembly does not know or pretends not to know that the process for the removal of a Chief Judge of a state is expressly provided for under Section 292(1)(a)(ii) of the Constitution.

According to the NBA leaders, the procedure for suspending a Chief Judge requires that: The NJC must first investigate any allegations against the Chief Judge and, where necessary, make a formal recommendation for removal to the Governor.

“Upon receiving a valid recommendation from the NJC, the Governor may act on the recommendation; and that the removal must be confirmed by a resolution of at least two-thirds of the members of the State House of Assembly”.