C’River Assembly removes Ogoja vice chairman amid subsisting court order

Cross River State House of Assembly has removed the Vice Chairman of Ogoja Local Government Council, Hon. Emmanuel Idi Yakubu, over allegations of gross misconduct, despite a subsisting court order restraining the Assembly from taking such action.

Yakubu had earlier approached a State High Court seeking an order to stop the Assembly from proceeding with his removal.

However, lawmakers went ahead with the process and removed him from office during plenary on Tuesday.

The decision followed a voice vote in which 19 lawmakers voted in favour of his removal, one member abstained, while five members were absent.

Before the vote, the House considered the report of its Committee on Judiciary, Public Service Matters, Public Petitions and Conflict Resolution. The report was presented by the Committee Chairman, Rt. Hon. Davies Etta, who also serves as Deputy Leader of the House.

Presenting the findings, Etta recalled that the Ogoja Legislative Council had earlier issued an impeachment notice against Yakubu, citing allegations of gross misconduct.

The allegations included abandonment of duty, disregard for constituted authority and rules of engagement, breach of oath of secrecy, and lack of working synergy with the Council Chairman.

He further explained that, in line with Section 14 subsection 3 of the Cross River State Local Government Law and pursuant to House Resolution Number 031, the Assembly had previously suspended Yakubu for 90 days to enable a thorough investigation.

According to Etta, the committee conducted an investigative hearing attended by the Leader of Council, Hon. Elizabeth Mbim, ward councillors, and the Director of General Services and Administration representing the Head of Local Government Administration. They all presented testimonies during the proceedings.

The committee noted that the Vice Chairman was absent at the hearing but wrote to request another date on the grounds of ill health. However, he was reportedly sighted at a political rally where he publicly defected from the All Progressives Congress to the African Democratic Congress.

Etta stated that the committee concluded that Yakubu was no longer committed to his office, having left the political party under which he was elected to join another party and actively work for it.

He added that the action constituted an infraction of Section 20 subsection 1 of the Cross River State Local Government Law 2007 as amended.

The committee also held that his strained relationship with the Council Chairman and the Legislative Council amounted to a disregard for constitutional authority and gross misconduct.

Lawmakers who contributed to the debate expressed concern that the development was detrimental to the effective administration and progress of Ogoja Local Government Council.

Presiding over the sitting, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Sylvester Agabi, reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to upholding the rule of law in the administration of local governments across the state.

He directed Yakubu to hand over all government property in his custody to the most senior civil servant in the council.