The embattled Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Elvert Ayambem, has declared that he remains the Speaker, despite being impeached by seventeen members. These members had signed a notice for his impeachment.

The motion to remove Ayambem was moved by Effiong Ekarika, representing Calabar South 1, and seconded by Charles Omang.

Ayambem described the impeachment process as unlawful in a statement released on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Matthew Okache. Okache accused Ekarika, the person who proposed the impeachment, of disrupting the meeting by “inviting hoodlums to enter the chamber.”

“The Cross River State House of Assembly has been alerted to false news reports that the Speaker, Elvert Ayambem, has been impeached,” the statement read.

“To be clear, the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly is, without a doubt, Elvert Ayambem. He is in the current position. What happened earlier today (Wednesday) during the plenary, when Effiong Ekarika, a member representing Calabar South 1, disrupted the session by inviting hoodlums to enter the chamber, is a ridiculous charade with no constitutional basis.

“The House of Assembly is not aware of any impeachment notices being served to anyone before the frivolous act as witnessed at the chambers. The alleged impeachment and replacement are speculative, and the general public is urged to disregard fake news and dismiss any notion of a crisis. The status quo is that Elvert Ayambem is the Speaker of the House of Assembly.”