Cross Rivers State House of Assembly refuses to sit because members are not paid their allowances

MEMBERS of the Cross River State House of Assembly have resumed to resume sitting this week to protest the non-payment of their allowances and the provision of vehicles by the state governor.

During the summer, the lawmakers embarked on a month-long recess and were due to resume sitting yesterday Monday September 16. However, the legislators are unhappy about the fact that they have not been paid their allowances, been provided with vehicles and other sundry entitlements which they say are due them.

According to one member of staff at the Cross River State House of Assembly, the lawmakers had made their demands known to the executive arm of government but nothing has been done about the matter. They appear particularly irked about the fact that the state government was yet to make official vehicles available to them to help them function effectively and efficiently in the discharge of their duties to their constituencies.

“Ever since the House was inaugurated, members statutory allowances and other entitlements have not been paid, hence the sit at their offices protest. The refusal to reconvene is in protest over the non-payment of their statutory finances by the Cross River State Government dating back to when the assembly was inaugurated,” the member of staff stated.

Cross River State House of Assembly is made of 25 members, all from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, Hope Obeten, the press secretary to the speaker of the House said that the lawmakers did not sit yesterday because they just returned and were settling into their offices.

He added: “The House was supposed to sit on the 10th of September but they couldn’t because most of the principal officers including the speaker and deputy speaker went for a conference in Abuja. Many of them just came back and are in their offices and their non-reconvening today has nothing to do with the non payment of allowances or issuance of official vehicles.”