A’Ibom Assembly crisis takes new twist as Police seal-off complex

…Court orders stay of execution of judgement on defected lawmakers’ seats
…PDP, APC express divergent views over Assembly crisis
The crisis rocking the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly took new twist on Wednesday morning as the Assembly complex located at Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo, the state capital, was sealed-off by a detachment of security personnel comprising the anti-robbery and anti- cultism units and some officers of the civil defence corps.

This is even as the crisis consumed its first victim late Tuesday evening as the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, redeployed the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, John Bassey Abang.

Abang was redeployed after barely one month in office, having resumed duties as commissioner of Akwa Ibom State command on October 19, 2018.

The Police Command in the state early on Wednesday morning sealed-off the state Assembly complex, barring workers, visitors and members of the house who turned early in the morning of that fateful day.

The police officers condoned-off the entire complex with a total of 20 vehicles stationed at strategic corners round the Assembly complex.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, told one of our correspondents that the action was not unconnected with the recent protest by the aggrieved youths.

The youths suspected be supporters of the sacked lawmaker – Idongesit Ituen, member representing Itu state constituency, had invaded the Assembly complex preventing the planned parliamentary sitting in honour of the 80th birthday of Obong Victor Attah, a former governor of the state.

A senior police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the sealing of the Assembly and the redeployment of the police commissioner but did not give further details.

He merely said “yes, the police commissioner has been redeployed and the police have sealed off the complex but what did you want me to tell you now I am not prepared to say, our work is regimented”.

The Speaker of the Assembly could not be reached for comments but his Chief Press Secretary, Kufre Okon, who also confirmed the sealing of the complex, said the police were yet to give explanation their action.

He said the police action has stalled some many legislative functions of the house that would been carried out on Wednesday.

He said, “The police this morning (Wednesday) seal of the Assembly complex, and up till now nothing has been heard from the police concerning that action.

“There were so many things planned for today (Wednesday). The committee on Public Account was supposed to meet today (Wednesday). Also, the Speaker was supposed to receive so many people and organisations on courtesy calls and other legislative functions of the house.”

Reacting to the development, Nse Ntuen, the factional Speaker, whose election was declared illegal by the Assembly, said: “We are law abiding citizens, we are not confrontational set of people, if we go to the Assembly and the place is blocked, we will come back”.

He said there is nothing like declaring their seats vacant because the matter is still court and there was a stay of execution order by the Court of Appeal in Calabar.

Meanwhile, the declaration of five seats of members of the Assembly vacant suffered another setback, on Wednesday, following an order for stay of execution of judgement by the same court, urging the speaker of the Assembly to sack the lawmakers last Friday.

Addressing a press conference in Uyo, on Wednesday, the state chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Imo Okopido, accused the Assembly speaker of impunity and hasty declaration of the seats of their members vacant not minding the court processes.

“Nevertheless, the APC as a law abiding party totally condemns the action of the Speaker in its entirety in taking the laws into his hand and embarking on absolute illegalities and acting as God by declaring the seat of members whose matters were still pending in court and who had existing court orders restraining him from such purport declaration,” he said.

Hon. Okopido observed that the sacked lawmakers have pending cases in court keenly contested by both APC and PDP lawyers and wondered why the case of Idongesit Ituen was exceptional.

Okopido further observed that when he assumed duties as chairman of APC in Akwa Ibom State, he had no public officer, but now the party can boast of two senators, five lawmakers and councillors to her credit.

He noted that when the only member of APC representing Urue Offong Oruko state constituency, Hon Asuquo Archibong, defected to PDP on the floor of the Assembly, the speaker never reacted to the point of declaring the seat vacant.

The Daily Times recalls that a member representing Itu state constituency defected from PDP to APC on the floor of the Assembly and later approached an Uyo Federal High Court praying it for an order restraining the speaker from declaring his seat vacant.

But last Friday, Justice F.O Riman of Federal High Court, Uyo, in his ruling ordered the speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Barrister Onofiok Luke, to declare seat of defected lawmakers vacant.

However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alerted the nation of an alleged plot by the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to foist violence and breakdown of law and order in Akwa-Ibom State as well as other littoral states with the aim of forcefully taking over control of these states.

Recall that two weeks ago, the PDP had cautioned the Buhari Presidency and the APC on exposed plot to instigate confusion and violence in Bayelsa State by destabilising the security architecture of the state and foisting a siege mentality on the entire oil rich south-south region.

Addressing the press in Abuja on Wednesday, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyano, alleged volatile outbursts by the Buhari Campaign Organisation and APC leaders and their use of violent images and outright threats of war on Akwa-Ibom State.

“Nigerians are invited to recall the violent and ominous outburst by the former Governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who vowed that the APC will take over the state the same way Hitler overran Poland, swearing that “war shall see Warsaw and Warsaw shall see war” in Akwa-Ibom State.

“Given that this statement is the policy of the APC and the Buhari Presidency against Akwa-Ibom and other parts of our nation, where they are not in control, the President, as chief security officer of our nation, never issued a reprimand nor has Senator Akpabio been pulled in for questioning by security agencies.

” It is now clear that the statement is an approved prelude of a pre-meditated plot by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to initiate, facilitate and superintend a mayhem and bloodletting in the peaceful and developing Akwa-Ibom, irrespective of the huge human and material damage such could cause in the state”, he said.

According to him, part of the plot is the forceful attempt to take over control of the Akwa-Ibom State legislature, for which he held the Presidency and the APC liable.

He said the ruling APC has been sponsoring the invasion of the House of Assembly complex and seeking ways to violently oust the duly elected leadership of the state assembly.

“Only recently, the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, who has been under fire over allegations of corruption, threatened and directly accused the erstwhile Akwa-Ibom Commissioner of Police, John Abang, of refusing to carry out APC’s orders to provide security cover that will enable three legally sacked members of the 26-member legislature to effect a change of leadership.

“The PDP has information of how the APC hierarchy thereafter, ordered the Inspector General of Police, who in compliance, summarily redeployed CP John Abang and replaced him with a new CP, Hyelasinda Musa Kimo.

It is needless to say that Mr. Abang spent just one month as CP and had to be removed for not carrying out APC’s atrocious directive.

“Since the arrival of CP Kimo, there has been mounting tension and escalated siege mentality in Akwa-Ibom State, particularly in the state legislature where thugs, backed by the police, have been invading the premises, disrupting legislative activities, harassing staff members and hindering them from performing their responsibilities.

“This recourse to self-help, against declarative judgment by competent court of jurisdiction sacking the three lawmakers, is a deliberate attempt to instigate violence, foist a reign of terror, cause confusion, and create an impression that the state has become ungovernable.

This is with a view to opening the way for a declaration of a state of emergency, which will enable them dismantle all democratic structures and forcefully take over control of the state”, he further stated.

He warned that PDP will firmly resist plot to forcefully take over Akwa-Ibom or any other PDP-controlled states, stressing that resistance from the people of those states may lead to a crisis of unprecedented magnitude that has the capacity of truncating Nigeria’s hard-earned democracy.

Speaking at the briefing, the State Publicity Secretary of PDP in Akwa Ibom, Ini Ememobong, said the premeditated plan which is unfolding is in phases and the whole aim is to ensure that the security situation in the state is presented as that which the governor is overwhelmed because of his gentlemanly disposition to issues of state and governance.

He said: “And when that happens, it will attract seemingly the attention of the Federal Government to come in aid of the APC who are totally and absolutely unable to win any election on the ground.

“The end point of that plan is to ensure that on the day of election, Akwa Ibom as well as other states controlled by the PDP will be selected as flash points and kept for a separate day, either as will be announced by the INEC or on the day of the first general ballot,

that they will make it impossible for elections to hold there so that the Ekiti example and Ekiti style of election can be brought, where 30,000 policemen can be brought from other parts of the country”.