By Patrick Obia
In a twist of events in just hours, after the drama, exchange of punches, seizure of maze, and subsequently, a notice announcing the impeachment of Speaker Elvert Ayambem, the Cross River State House Assembly has maintained he remains Speaker despite what transpired during Wednesday session.
The two-thirds majority made up of 17 members out of 25 in the House had earlier passed a vote-of-no confidence on the Speaker, citing, financial misappropriation, and misconduct among others.
But shortly after CrossRiverWatch first broke the news of his impeachment, a press statement from the spokesperson of the speaker, Matthew Okache, urged the public to disregard the plot by the 17 members.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Cross River State House Of Assembly Speaker, Elvert Ayambem Impeached
He said “To be clear, the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly is without a doubt Rt. Hon Elvert Ayambem and that is the current position. What happened earlier today (Wednesday) during the plenary, when Hon. Effiong Akarika, a member representing Calabar South 1, disrupted the session by inviting hoodlums to enter the chamber, is a ridiculous charade with no constitutional basis.”
Matthew stated “The House of Assembly is not aware of any impeachment notices being served to anyone before the frivolous act as witnessed at the chambers. The alleged impeachment and replacement are speculative, and the general public is urged to disregard fake news and dismiss any notion of a crisis. The status quo is that Rt Hon Elvert Ayambem is the Speaker of the House of Assembly.”
He added that the embattled Speaker remains unconcerned and determined to elevate the Assembly and support the Executive arm of government, led by Governor Bassey Edet Otu, in achieving the people’s first mantra.
“Also note, that the removal of the speaker and election is not done anywhere but within the precient of the Assembly Complex.”
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