Akwa Ibom Speaker, Deputy Impeached
From Okon Bassey in Uyo, 05.20.2010

Barely 24 hours after being suspended and given seven days ultimatum to resign or risk impeachment, Speaker of the Awka Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ignatius Edet, and his deputy, Obong Okon Uwah, were yesterday removed from their positions. Hon. Jack Udota was elected as the Speaker pro-tempore.
Addressing journalists in Uyo, Chairman, House Committee on Information, Obong Asuquo Darby Udo, said 21 out of the 26 members of the Assembly signed the resolution to impeach the two principal officers.
Udo said more than two-thirds majority of the members had Tuesday, May 18th, 2010, signed the resolution.
He said to ensure that there was no vacuum in the House, the Assembly members decided that “the Speaker pro-tempore is by this resolution empowered to reconvene the House for the purpose of electing the substantive Speaker and Deputy Speaker at the earliest convenient date”.

In reference to Edet, he said: “He is such an autocratic, non-transparent, non-accountable and selfish leader; a compulsive liar and an expert in distortion of facts and information who takes delight in divide and rule and other discriminatory system of administration.”
He listed the sins of the impeached officers to include total disregard and disrespect for the rules and standing orders of the House and the Constitution of Nigeria.
He said the impeached officers had committed offences ranging from “refusal to account for funds standing to the credit of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly since the inception of the House;

“Inability to convene the House of Assembly; a situation which has made the House not to sit for the constitutional 181 days in a legislative session; usurpation of powers and suppression of intellectual discourse and debates in the chambers;
“High handedness; uncontrolled arrogance; greed and insensitivity to the plight of members; lack of transparency and disregard for due process in the administration of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly where he forcefully and illegally convened the House even when there is no quorum; and
“Engaging in incessant postponement and adjournments of the House to take care of his private business thereby allowing the business of legislation in the House to suffer.”
He said the decision to remove Edet and Uwah was taken in the best interest of the legislature, government and the entire people of the state.
Adjourning sitting of the House to May 25th, members said the tenure of Edet “can best be described as traumatic, only likened to a horrific nightmare”.

Darby had at the end of an executive meeting of the House Tuesday announced Edet and Uwah’s suspension from the House and issued a seven-day ultimatum to resign or be impeached.
He had described the actions of the impeached officers for the past three years as gross abuse of office, adding that members of the House were disappointed by their leadership techniques.
“The entire House is seriously disappointed with the leadership of the House with particular reference to the Speaker and his Deputy,” he had said.

na wah,the story don get new development.

A’Ibom Assembly sealed off
.Edet can’t return, members vow
From JOE EFFIONG, UYO
Friday, May 21, 2010



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Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has been sealed off following the crisis that led to the sudden impeachment of the Speaker, Obong Ignatius Edet and his Deputy, Obong Okon Uwah on Wednesday.

Daily Sun correspondent, who was asked politely to go and come back on Monday by a security man at the gate, observed that no visitors except workers were allowed into the premises, which had been taken over by the police on Thursday.

One of the members, who appended his signature to the impeachment resolution and a strong contender to the position of speaker, Mr Usenobong Akpabio, told Daily Sun that it was impossible for the speaker and his deputy to come back and reclaim their positions as the action of the 22 members was final.

Reminded that Edet was a survivalist, having managed to hang onto power since 2007 when the members wanted him kicked out, Akpabio replied: “I’ve never seen impeachment being reversed. We had never got to this level in the previous attempts.” He explained that the members decided to rescind the earlier seven-day ultimatum for the speaker and his deputy to resign because the delay was not necessary. “It was not necessary to give them the opportunity to defend themselves. Members change their mind because it was a total loss of confidence.”

But why did the members decide to conduct the impeachment outside the hallowed chamber of the House of Assembly? Akpabio answered that Section 92(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria says where two thirds of the members of the House sign a resolution to remove the speaker it was binding.
“The constitution did not make reference to location. So whether it was taken in the chambers or anywhere, it does not matter. What matters is the number.

“In Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, we are 26, so if at least 18 members sign a resolution, it is binding, after all, what constitutes the House is not the chambers but the members who make up the house. In this case, 21 members signed the impeachment resolution. It doesn’t mean that those who didn’t sign are angling for the speaker to return. They had their reasons.”

Asked whether he was interested in taking over from Edet, Akpabio said the post was ab initio zoned to Uyo Senatorial District to which Uruan State Constituency. “If the majority of members have confidence in me and decide to elect me the speaker, it is not out of place.” Another member, representing Mkpat Enin State Constituency, Mr. Ekong Sampson said the Acting Speaker, Mr. Jack Udota, would supervise the election of new speaker and deputy speaker when the House reconvenes next week.

He ruled out the possibility of Edet and Uwah coming back to their respective positions, claiming that the allegations against them were grave enough to send them packing. Daily Sun learnt that attempt by Governor Godswill Akpabio to save Edet and Uwah failed as his emissary, the state commissioner for finance, was pushed out of the premises where the impeachment was conducted