The Presidency has released a statement denying any involvement in the ongoing political crisis in Benue State, calling the purported impeachment notice served on Governor Samuel Ortom by 8-members out of 30 of the State House of Assembly as unconstitutional.
This is coming after President Buhari was fingered as the brain behind the move to impeach Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State by the alleged impeached and suspended Speaker, Terkimbi Ikyange and his group, after the Governor decamped from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The President and his APC, after Samuel Ortom decamped from the APC were alleged to have instructed the 8-members of APC in the house, after 19 initial members of the APC decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party to impeach the Governor, alleging misappropriation of funds and other allegations of mismanagement.
The Presidency has since refuted such reports, as in a statement released a few hours ago, said:
“There have been mischievous attempts to link President Buhari to unconstitutional developments in the political situation unfolding in Benue State. These insinuations should be wholly disregarded. The President will always stand by the Constitution, & by all that is noble & fair.”
It all started when on Monday 30th July 2018, suspended and impeached speaker Ikyange called the now APC 10 minority legislators in the Benue State House of Assembly said to be loyal to former Governor and now Senator, Senator Akume, for a plenary to review developments in the State then resolved to commence impeachment process against the governor for gross financial misconduct.
Samuel Ortom was said to have misappropriated the sum of N54 billion from the state’s coffers, out of which N22 billion was said to have been embezzled from the security vote, and another N32 billion was from local government funds.
Before now, Police has denied access to other members loyal to Governor Samuel Ortom to use the Assembly complex, but the suspended speaker yesterday, had access to the building where the impeachment process where taken.
Though the impeachment process is yet to begin or carried out, the other 19-members who decamped to PDP have all called the move illegal.