Insider sources have confirmed that it took the personal intervention of Cross River State governor, Bassey Edet Otu, for Elvert Ayambem, embattled Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, to return to his seat as Speaker of the Assembly.
Otu who was out of the state when a majority 17 members of the CRSHA served Ayambem an impeachment notice and further took possession of the mace, forcing the House to slide into confusion, is said to have quickly convened a peace meeting immediately he returned to the state over the weekend.
At the meeting convened by the governor, the aggrieved majority members are said to have tabled their grievances against Ayambem, ranging from high handedness to financial impropriety, among other grievances. Some members of the Assembly are said to have openly told the governor that they want another Speaker. A keen listening Otu was however not in support of their position, insisting that the members should embrace stability for the Legislature to be able to assist the Executive run the state. While a few murmured, the governor was able to convince them not to pull the trigger but to embrace peace and let Ayambem continue.
The outcome of this meeting has seen Ayambem survive the storm with a press release emanating this morning from his office stating that, Ayambem has been “unanimously reaffirmed as the Speaker of the 10th Assembly” and further praising the governor’s “remarkable ability to bring about peace for the stability of the state.”
Ayambem further expressed his commitment to “shared responsibility, to collaborate for the advancement of the state”, while pledging to “lead with integrity, decency, and a focus on the welfare of all.”
