Group Blasts C’River Speaker Over Plot To Impeach Ikom Chairman
Bassey BASSEY
Tension is escalating in Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State following allegations by a group accusing the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Elvert Ayambem, of plotting to impeach the council chairman, Pastor Mrs. Mercy Nsor.
The group, Ikom Progressive Forum, (IPF) which claimed to be made up of concerned stakeholders from Ikom, alleged that the Speaker had initiated clandestine moves to remove the chairman from office ahead of the forthcoming party congresses.
According to the A spokesperson of the group Ntufam Samuel Ndifon, the alleged plot is linked to lingering political rivalries that followed the last local government elections.
Ndifon said ikom has remained politically fragile shortly after the emergence of Mrs Nsor as council chairman through a consensus arrangement brokered by Governor Bassey Otu
He recalled that there were heated disagreements between key stakeholders, including the Speaker and a former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba, over who should occupy the position.
Although the arrangement was said to have been accepted at the time, Ndifon said the underlying disagreements never fully abated.
He alleged that the Speaker had fabricated accusations of poor governance, insubordination and financial impropriety against the chairman as justification for her removal.
They further claimed the Speaker has been discreetly mobilisng some stakeholders sympathetic to his clause while trying to induce councillors to commence impeachment proceedings.
According to the allegations, the Speaker is said to be lobbying councillors from Yala Nkum, Nam, Ikom Urban II, Aparambo, Ofutop II and Obayong wards, while working to secure the support of other councillors to form the required majority.
The group also accused the Speaker of convening what they described as an illegal stakeholders’ meeting without the consent or knowledge of the council chairman or the State House of Assembly, during which Mrs Nsor was allegedly summoned to account for council finances.
They claimed that the meeting was disrupted by the member representing Ikom I State Constituency, Hon Neji Abang, who reportedly challenged the legality of the gathering and warned against any action outside due process.
Stakeholders sympathetic to the chairman have described the allegations against her as trumped up and politically motivated. One of them, Comrade Emmanuel Agbor, said the chairman had committed no offence to warrant impeachment.
“As far as we are concerned, the chairman has done nothing wrong. What is playing out is a power struggle ahead of party congresses. Any attempt to remove her will further polarise Ikom politics,” he said.
The group further alleged that the ultimate aim of the impeachment move was to install the vice chairman, Hon Maurice Ekpando, as council chairman, thereby allowing the Speaker to exercise undue influence over the council and its finances in pursuit of future political ambitions.
However, the Speaker had earlier denied the allegations. His Press Secretary, Mr Matthew Okache, dismissed claims of an impeachment plot, insisting that Rt Hon Ayambem has only been making efforts to mediate and restore peace in Ikom.
“The Speaker is not plotting to remove the chairman. He has been playing a fatherly and reconciliatory role to ensure that issues raised by stakeholders are resolved amicably,” Okache said.
He explained that the stakeholders’ meeting was a follow up to earlier engagements aimed at addressing unresolved concerns and maintaining unity within the party.
Despite the denial, the situation remains tense, with observers warning that any impeachment attempt could deepen divisions within the All Progressives Congress in Ikom and undermine local governance in the area.
THE BEAGLE NEWS
