Category: South East

The member representing Abakaliki North Constituency, Mrs. Franca Okpo, has described as contempt of court, the action of All Progressives Congress (APC) faction in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, which purportedly declared her seat and those of two other lawmakers vacant.

The APC faction had on Tuesday declared the seat of Okpo vacant.

She is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The other two PDP members, whose seats were declared vacant, are Mr. Victor Aleke representing Ebonyi North West Constituency and Mr. Okechukwu Ali representing Ishielu North Constituency.

The PDP faction has eight members and has fallen out with the APC faction, which has 15 members, including the Speaker, Ogbonnaya Nwifuru.

The House was thrown into crisis last month with the declaration of the seats of the Deputy Speaker, Obasi Odefa, NgÍzi Eziulo (Afikpo North East) and Oliver Osi (Obi) vacant by the APC faction.

But they approached a Federal High Court, which reinstated them.

The 15 APC lawmakers, including the Speaker, were last week sacked by the Federal High Court for defecting to the APC from the PDP.

Also removed for defection was the Deputy Speaker, Odefa Obasi Odefa, who insisted that he never defected to the APC with the 15 others.

The court also declared their seats vacant.

Although they have appealed the decision and filed for stay of execution, the court is yet to grant their applications.

The matter was yesterday adjourned till March 21 by Justice Inyang Ekwo.

Despite not having a stay of execution order, the APC faction sat on Tuesday and declared the seats of Okpo, Aleke and Okechukwu vacant for purportedly resigning from their positions.

Okpo, in a reaction to the declaration, said the action carried out on the floor of the House by their sacked colleagues remained illegal, invalid and a contempt of court.

The PDP lawmaker stressed that “the sacked members are no longer members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly until stated otherwise by a competent court of law.”

In a statement she issued on behalf of her colleagues, the legislator said the sacked members of the Assembly lacked moral and constitutional power to declare their seats vacant.

THE embattled Anglican priest in the Diocese on the Niger, Rev. Canon LumenCristi Eboh, has said nobody has the power to dismiss him in the communion.

He said he remained a priest in the Melchizedek order and could not be dismissed from priesthood, except by God.

The diocese had at a news conference announced Eboh’s dismissal, following alleged misconduct and disobedience.

The Bishop, Rt. Rev. Owen Nwokolo, through the Deputy Chancellor, Sir Ben Uzuegbu (SAN), accused the priest of abscondment to several invitations to various allegations.

But the cleric said yesterday that his purported dismissal by the bishop, which was in exercise of his canonical powers, was limited to his (Eboh’s) ability to serve only in the diocese.

Speaking through his lawyer, Stanley Okafor, he accused the bishop of making references to matters already in court against him, as well as anchoring his suspension and dismissal on imaginary allegations.

He claimed to be the only priest not on the payroll of the diocese.

He said: “My attention has been drawn to statements, which emanated from the deputy chancellor and director of communications of the diocese that tainted my character and portrayed me in bad light at a news conference.

“Needless to say that these agents of the diocese acted at the pleasure of my lord bishop.

“One would have expected a respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria and his peers to advise the bishop aright that matters in court should be stepped down pending determination of substantive matters by court of proper jurisdiction.”

“If indeed these matters are before the court of law, why would my lord bishop therefore pre-empt the court by suspending and dismissing me on those same allegations, even when my innocence or otherwise has not been determined by these courts?”

Eboh had resigned his priesthood, stressing that the decision followed protracted threats from the bishop, as well as accumulated acrimony between two of them.

He refuted being a Catholic seminarian before switching over to the Anglican Communion, saying he had been an Anglican from birth and would remain there till death.

Describing his alleged impregnating of a girl as funny and diversionary, Eboh said he was advised by his legal team to refrain from comments on the matter, pending conclusion of investigations.

House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Onofiok Luke on Wednesday, in Uyo, formally declared his intention to vie for the position of the governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2023.

Onofiok, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, unveiled his aspiration on the occasion of his 44th birthday.

The former speaker of the House of Assembly and ex-University of Uyo Students’ Union president, rested his campaign policy direction on nine pillars.

They are food sufficiency & agricultural development, education, health care, technology development, entrepreneurial & industrial development, tourism, sports & entertainment, youth, women & social inclusion, security, environment & infrastructure and good governance & administration.

Onofiok’s declaration sets him on a collision course with Governor Udom Emmanuel, who has endorsed Umo Eno as his preferred successor.

Emmanuel and other Akwa Ibom State officials were absent at the Ibom Hall venue as Onofiok unveiled his manifesto before thousands of his supporters.

The lawmaker declared his intention to rely on the support of God, his fellow ‘Akwa Ibomites’, residents, friends and well-wishers to not only pick the party’s ticket, but also to win the election.

He said this followed the positive feedback he received after sustained consultations with political stakeholders, women and youth groups, community leaders within and outside the state.

Onofiok is from the same local government with Eno as well as Senator Effiong Bob and Mr. Udom Inoyo, who had indicated interest in the office. While Bob publicly withdrew from the race and was crowned the political leader of Uyo Senatorial District, Inoyo, the former Executive Vice-President of ExxonMobil, quietly pulled back.

Aspirants are yet to emerge from the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governorship campaign organisation of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the Ikeoha Campaign Organisation, has reacted to what it described as the desperation of some elements to stop the politician from contesting the 2023 Enugu State governorship election.

The group said no amount of sponsored lies, forgeries, intimidation and press statements would stop the governorship ambition of Ekweremadu, ahead of the 2023 general election.

It made this known in a statement it issued through the Director General, Ogbonna Asogwa, to reporters in Enugu.

The body noted the alleged forgery and manipulation of minutes of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Enugu State Caucus meeting, which took the makers over two years to produce, since they boasted about it.

It said it was not the business of the caucus under the PDP constitution to zone elective offices.

The statement noted what it called “the communiqué-for-money bribery scandal rocking the state on a non-existing zoning, all in an effort to stop Ekweremadu.”

It decried “the intimidation of Ekweremadu’s supporters by agents of state, including the detention in prison of Paulinus Ugwu, the PDP Ward Chairman for Okpatu; the detention and subsequent charge to court for baseless offences of Joshua Ogbonna, Francis Akpa and Obi Mamah, using the late Deputy Inspector General of Police, Joseph Egbunike (may his soul rest in peace).

“The ostracisation of Emeka Asogwa, Armstrong Agbo and Charles Mbah for the simple reasons of their association with and commitment to Ekweremadu.

“The over N300million squandered on rallies to drum up support for zoning, all in an attempt to stop Ekweremadu.

“The press statements, news conferences and publications sponsored by agents of state against Ekweremadu.

“Nocturnal meetings and fetish practices being organised against Ekweremadu.

“Huge state and local government funds being wasted on stopping Ekweremadu, while basic utilities and services suffer neglect.

“The appointment of thugs and cultists into state and local government offices, aimed at intimidating and stopping Ekweremadu.”

The group assured the citizens that Ekweremadu was not deterred in his bid to build a new Enugu State that would provide potable water, employment, security for all; pay pensions and gratuities; equitably distribute democracy dividends and opportunities; ensure massive road and infrastructural development; statewide electricity coverage; youth and women empowerment and engender good governance, including non-interference with local government funds.

Barring last minute change of plan, Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel will any moment from now reshuffle the Executive Council (Exco).

He has forwarded five names of new Exco nominees to the House of Assembly for screening and clearance.

This was made known yesterday in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Iniobong Ememobong.

The commissioner said: “The Chairman-in-Council announced that the Executive Council will be reshuffled and that five commissioners will be eased out. Consequently, names have been forwarded to the House of Assembly for screening and clearance.”

Other matters discussed during the Exco meeting included state of ongoing projects, strike by teachers in public schools, among others.

The plan by the Church of Christ to erect its building opposite the Nigerian Navy (NNS) Jubillee Base has created tension in Ikot Abasi Local Government of Akwa Ibom State.

The church accused the Navy of harassing members and preventing it from constructing its building on a land it acquired since 1997, before the coming of the Navy base to the area.

A member of the church, Dr. Inemesit Ekanem, told The Nation that naval operatives attached to NNS Jubilee intimidated, harassed and disrupted the building project.

Ekanem, the Chief Medical Director of Enobong Memorial Hospital at Ikpetim village in Ikot Abasi Local Government, said the Navy had raised security concerns about the location of the church and had given certain conditions before the building could be allowed to be sited there, which the church agreed to.

He said: “After explaining our position of incessant harassment, intimidation and disruption of work at the church permanent site by officers and men of NNS Jubilee, the then Base Commander, A. M. Ibrahim, stated it loud and clear that he was hearing the matter for the first time and apologised for the action of his men by harassing children and youths of the church.

“He remarked that he had no problems with the church but, however, raised security concerns and threat to the Navy by the proposed project. We explained to him that there are two churches opposite the base.

“The church acquired the land in 1997 prior to the coming and occupation of the estate by the Navy. The church erected the first structure, but it was blown off by wind.”

Ekanem, however, said with the transfer of Ibrahim out of the base, some officers and men of the base launched a fresh resistance against the project, beating up and harassing members and labourers at the building site.

He alleged that he and eight other members of the church were beaten up, adding that they sustained injuries.

Ekanem alleged that naval officers attacked them and destroyed building materials, including cement, worth millions of Naira.

The Base Operation Officer, NNS Jubilee, Lt. Commander Morgan Etuk, denied that officers and men of the base beat up and harassed members of the church.

He said the church building located opposite the main entrance of the base would cause security threat, hence the decision to ask the church to stop the project.

Etuk said: “This is a military establishment and every military establishment all over the world must have a buffer zone, a safety zone. So, this military establishment is not an exception.

“However, when they came that Saturday, one of our officers asked them not to continue work. That was not the first time they were told not to continue with the work.

“We told them the need to come so that we have a roundtable discussion because that church, if erected, will become a security threat to this base. If you check our security architecture, you will see drums and sentries stationed all over the place. These are some of the things we use to protect this place.

“Coming to erect this structure, which they said is even a storey-building, somebody can go there and use it as an observation post to monitor what is happening inside the base. As a pastor, you will not tell me categorically that one hundred per cent of the members don’t have any criminal tendency of intentions. You hear about how criminals go about attacking military zones, killing personnel and carting away weapons. So, we have to secure our base.

“We can’t just sit down and allow a structure erected in front of us, which we know may become a security threat to us. So, on the issue that they were beaten up, we are law-abiding citizens and not animals that will start beating people up. All we did was to tell them to pack their belongings from there and that they should look for a way to come and meet us to know why we said they should not erect the building.”