After one year, no car, no allowance, C’River lawmakers go after Speaker

Indications are ripe that Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Mr. John Gaul-Lebo might be impeached over crisis rocking the House.

The issue threatening his position as Speaker it was gathered is the prolonged non-payment of welfare to members, which majority of the lawmakers are unhappy with, and the bulk of them had four days ago threatened to impeach the speaker.

It was gathered that the majority of the legislators are irritated that after one year in office, they are yet to get their official cars, housing and wardrobe allowances as well as other entitlements.

The newest move is the third time since assumption of office in June 2015 that the Speaker will be threatened with impeachment notice.

Speaking anonymously, one of the irritated members said his colleagues were also not happy over the inability of the House to sit and carry out constitutional duties due to lack of diesel and unavailability of office stationeries.

He also pointed out that the civil servants in the Assembly were angry with the Speaker over a plot to transfer some top officials for allegedly divulging the leadership’s financial transactions to other members of the House.

It was also gathered that 11 lawmakers, allegedly led by the member representing Ikom 2 State Constituency, Mr. Simon Nkoro, are already shopping for signatures to make up 2/3 of the 25 lawmakers in the House in order to impeach the Speaker.

Lawmakers spearheading the impeachment according a reliable source include members representing Calabar Municipality, Bakassi, Odukpani, Obudu, Akamkpa I and II and Calabar South II constituencies.

Already series of meeting have taken place between lawmakers and the leadership of the House with the Deputy governor, Professor Ivara Esu, and the party Chairman, Mr. Inok Edim, on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

Responding to the issue, the House Committee on Information chairman, Mr. Nelson Ofem, said there was “discontent” in the House, but added that no impeachment notice had been served the Speaker.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Azogor Ideba, said, “There is no problem in the house, a few members cannot just wake up and impeach the Speaker.”