The Blame Game Continues
Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Ojo Maduekwe write that the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress are trying to hold each other responsible for the broadening crisis in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly
After the initial invasion of the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly on November 19 by thugs belonging to the youth wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, and backed by officers of the Nigeria Police, the APC again invaded the state assembly on November 27.
The thugs were allegedly led by the five former members of the House, who are members of the opposition APC in the state, namely; Nse Ntuen, representing Essien Udim; Idongesit Ituen, representing Itu; Gabriel Toby, representing Etim Ekpo-Ika; Victor Udofia, representing Ikono and Otobong Ndem, representing Mkpat Enin.
The first invasion of the house was said to have been led by Ituen, who had gone to the courts to stop the house from declaring his seat vacant but instead got ruled against. The second invasion was alleged to have been sponsored by Ituen and his four defecting colleagues. But the APC has a different narrative. According to its National Vice Chairman, South-south, Chief Hilliard Eta, the party frowned at the brutalisation of APC lawmakers and the interference of Governor Udom Emmanuel in the affairs of the state assembly. He said, the party’s position, especially at the zonal level was it would not sit idle and allow the impunity of the PDP to derail the democratic structure in the state. Eta further said the governor should approach the courts if he felt strongly about certain happenings in the assembly and reiterated that the party will do everything within its powers to protect the citizens of the state.
The APC chieftain warned that the party will not stand aloof to watch the intimidation and harassment of APC members and citizens of communities in the state by those who are bent on remaining in the office at all cost using the power at their disposal as the governor of the state.
Following the second invasion, thousands of Akwa Ibom women were said to have marched out in the state capital of Uyo to demand the immediate sack of the state police commissioner, Musa Kimo, who was only recently deployed to the state in the heat of the first invasion.
The women, led by the Commissioner for Women Affairs in Akwa Ibom state, Dr. Glory Edet; the PDP women leader in the state, Mrs. MmemeAkpabio, and a former Minister of Lands and Housing, Dr. Akon Eyakenyi, stormed the assembly complex at 9am to express their solidarity with the governor over what they described as “intimidation by the federal government.”
According to Edet, “For the sake of peace, we want the removal of the Commissioner of Police, Musa Kimo. We have always had peace, and we want that peace to continue. We cannot have a police force that will abet the level of illegality that we have witnessed in the House of Assembly. Introducing anything other than peace in Akwa Ibom is alien to our people. When there is crisis anywhere and women step in, there is always peace. This is why we have stepped in.”
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke, while addressing the women, urged them to pray for peace and not be afraid but to always rise to defend the country’s hard won democracy. He described the invasion as the most scandalous desecration of the state legislature yet.
The state governor, Udom Emmanuel, and Luke have repeatedly accused the police as abetting the two-time invasion of the House of Assembly by the ousted members and thugs allegedly hired by them.
The national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, and the police commissioner, have tried to downplay both invasions. While Oshiomhole tried to paint the embattled former members as victims, accusing the PDP of “misusing the police” to undermine APC members democratic rights, Kimo said the police officers
aiding the five former lawmakers are security aides attached to the embattled lawmakers.
Speaking on the Akwa Ibom invasion, Oshiomhole said the police sided with the PDP in the state. “We have law and order. If a governor wants extra legal assistance with the police, the Commissioner is not meant to oblige but that is what has happened in Akwa Ibom,” he said.
Kimo on his part said, “It is totally false. Mind you all the House members have police men attached to them, this is not peculiar to Akwa Ibom state. For now we have no right to prevent ‘A’ or ‘B’ from accessing the House. That can only be done by the court of competent jurisdiction. I did not send any policeman to the assembly. Do you know that, if we did not deploy police to stay, not far from the assembly, possibly by now the structure might not have been there.”
But, in an exclusive interview with THISDAY, the house chairman on information and member representing Ibiono Ibom state constituency, Rt. Hon. Ime Okon said, “I would have thought that the invasion was a normal police arrangement but the reaction of the APC both at the national and state level have shown that there’s credit to this allegation. I read that the national chairman of the APC was supporting what his members who had been ousted from the house by the operation of the law, and telling stories as if he was in the premises when the thing happened.
“Again I was also surprised that the state chairman of the APC was even congratulating the three members who sat on that day to purportedly bring out an imposter claiming to be the speaker.”
On the day of the second invasion, the 21 members of the state House of Assembly, sat and passed a 7-point resolution, chief amongst them being the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the break-in into the chambers of the legislature and desecrating same.
The lawmakers also banned their former colleagues from going near the premises of the assembly; passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of Luke for his leadership qualities; asked Kimo and other security agencies to protect the institution of the house and its members. They also asked for the immediate redeployment of Kimo for aiding and abetting the criminal activities of the five sacked lawmakers and for supplying them with over 50 policemen to break into the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
There are allegations that the invasion of the house by the APC members is sponsored by Senator Godswill Akpabio and targeted at Luke, who is considered as one of the strong backbones of the state governor. The insinuation linking Akpabio to the crisis in the AKHA may have found some substance since Hon. Nse Ntuen, the member representing the former governor’s Essien Udim constituency was propped up as the ‘factional’ speaker. Of the five APC legislators, three-Ntuen, Tobby and Udofia-are from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district, represented by Senator Godswill Akpabio. However, a High Court sitting in Uyo has ordered Ntuen to stop parading himself as the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly until the motion filed by the counsel to Speaker Onofiok Luke, is determined.
Akwa Ibom State Chairman of the APC, Hon. Ini Okopido unwittingly confirmed the fears of those who alleged that the crisis in the state house of assembly was contrived to enable the APC secure control of the state through the backdoor. Okopido had issued a statement saying that law and order may have broken down irretrievably in Akwa Ibom State. He said, “Should the gov- ernor fail to address this problem, we call on the President to declare a State of Emergency in Akwa Ibom state and subsequently remove Udom Emmanuel from Office. Udom Emmanuel has flouted the law and breached the principle of separation of powers by invading the House of Assembly with murderous gang of thugs.”
TheAPC and its lawmakers, apparently, did not anticipate the backlash it got. They were banking on assumed precedence in other states and at the National Assembly. Okopido was emphatic on this. He stated, “In many Houses of Assembly across the federation, and indeed in both the Senate and House of Representatives, there have been many cross defections across party lines in the last several months. It is only in Akwa Ibom House of Assembly that the Speaker, goaded and pressured by the governor, has been intolerant and immature enough to declare seats vacant.” He further argued that Luke. Last year, the only APC member in the house of assembly elected on the platform of the APC, Hon. Asukwo Archibong, defected to the PDP. Mr Onofiok Luke did not declare his seat vacant. The Governor was happy about it. As a party, we handled the loss of the only lawmaker with calmness and fortitude.”