Why Benue Speaker was impeached

Indication emerged yesterday that the former speaker of the Benue state House of Assembly Hon. Terkimbir Ikyange was impeached for allegedly shortchanging his colleagues in the purchase of official Toyota Prado Vehicles meant for members of the state Assembly.

A highly placed source, who is a current member of the Assembly told our reporter that members were allegedly given N10million in lieu of the cars instead of N13.9m as approved as released by the Benue state government.

According to the source, the embattled former speaker also allegedly diverted a whooping sum of N175m meant for the purchase of laptops and biometric equipments and other allowances and welfare packages for members of the state Assembly.

The source further added that the impeachment that was carried on Tuesday was legal and procedural as relevant sections of the Assembly House standing rules were complied with.

He said that majority of the members wrote to the Clark of the Assembly not less than a week requesting the clark to reconvene the Assembly when about 22 members of the Assembly took the decision to impeach the former speaker.

He further added that the required number for the impeachment exercise 2/3rd which opt to have been 20 members.

He said that the impeachment on the leadership of the state Assembly was purely on a motion for vote of no confidence after collating signatures of 22 members

It will be recalled that, speaker of Benue State Assembly, Honourable Terkimbir Ikyange and three principal officers were detained last year by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The principal officers of the assembly were invited to Abuja over misappropriation of N750 million meant for the purchase of cars for the members.


Invited then, included the Deputy Speaker James Okefe and the Majority Leader Benjamin Adanyi, were said to have been visitors of the anti-graft for over a week before they were finally detained released on administrative bail.