They also accused the chairman of forcefully opening salary accounts with a bank with no branch in Cross River State. Harassment, physical intimidation, and favouritism in financial dealings are other allegations.
By TheInvestigator
A political crisis has erupted in Bekwarra Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State as nine out of ten councillors have formally initiated impeachment proceedings against the Executive Chairman, Honourable Theresa Akwaiji Ushie. In a petition addressed to the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, the councillors accused the chairman of financial secrecy, lack of transparency, abuse of office, and mismanagement of council resources.
The impeachment notice, submitted through the House Committee on Local Government Affairs, outlined eleven major allegations against the chairman. Key among these were claims that no revenue updates had been shared with councillors since her inauguration, that Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) processes were being conducted without legislative oversight, and that major projects were carried out unilaterally without consulting stakeholders.
The councillors further alleged a breakdown in communication between the executive and legislative arms of the council, claiming that no meetings had been held since their inauguration. They also accused the chairman of harassment, physical intimidation, and favouritism in financial dealings, particularly in the forced opening of salary accounts with a bank with no branch in Cross River State.
Another major grievance was the alleged mismanagement of Christmas palliatives, where only 40 bags of rice were distributed per ward instead of the expected 120 bags from the state government. They further alleged that they were given just one bag of rice each, a stark contrast to other LGAs in the state where over 100 bags were distributed per ward.
Attempts to reconcile the differences were allegedly rebuffed by the chairman, who was accused of verbally abusing stakeholders during meetings convened to address grievances. The councillors also decried poor working conditions, citing inadequate office facilities.
Honourable Ushie has yet to publicly respond to the allegations.