NSE NTUEN BONAFIDE AKHA SPEAKER - APC
....says party "cannot and will not tolerate Onofiok Luke's rascality"
The Akwa Ibom State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has recognized Rt. Hon. Nse Ntuen as the "bonafide Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly", saying Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke was duly sacked as Speaker on Monday.
The party in a media briefing at its secretariat in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, announced that it "stands by the decision of the lawmakers to elect a new speaker to lead the 6th Assembly and will support the new Speaker, Hon. Nse Ntuen as is required of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State."
State Chairman of the APC, Hon. Ini Okopido, who spoke on behalf of the party, also declared as null and void the purported sacking of five lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) by Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke.
Luke, at an emergency sitting of the Assembly on Monday, announced the sack of Hon. Idongesit Ituen (Itu), Hon. Gabriel Tobby (Etim Ekpo/Ika), Hon. Victor Udofia (Ikono), Hon. Otobong Ndem (Mkpat Enin), and Hon. Nse Ntuen (Essien Udim).
Addressing newsmen, the APC State Chairman, Hon. Ini Okopido, said Onofiok Luke's action amounts to Contempt of Court as the members who defected had obtained a court injunction against declaring their seats vacant.
According to him, "the APC as a law abiding party totally condemns the actions of the former speaker in its entirety in taking the laws into his hands and embarking on absolute illegalities and acting as god by declaring the seats of members whose matters were still pending in the courts and who had existing court orders restraining him from such purported declarations."
He warned that "the APC in Akwa Ibom State cannot and will not accept the act of impunity and political rascality displayed by the former speaker in declaring the five seats of our members in the Assembly vacant."
On the case of Hon. Idongesit Ituen, Hon. Okopido said the Itu lawmaker having filed an appeal against the judgement and applied for Stay of Execution Order against the judgement, obtained same which was duly served on Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke.
"His disobedience to extant orders of the court is most contemptuous and despicable of a chief lawmaker who had sworn to respect and protect the laws of the land", Okopido decried.
Hon. Okopido also accused Onofiok Luke of double standards.
"You will all recall that the first person to decamp in the current Assembly was the member representing Urueoffong/Oruko State Constituency, Hon. Asuquo Archibong who won election to the State House of Assembly on the platform of the APC.
"The Speaker did not declare his seat vacant at the time he decamped from his party for no just cause. Even when Mr. Speaker purported to do a blanket declaration of all members that decamped from parties that sponsored their elections, he carefully avoided touching the seat of the member representing Urueoffong/ Oruko, simply because he decamped to his party, the PDP", he concluded.
(C) Ofonime Honesty
....says party "cannot and will not tolerate Onofiok Luke's rascality"
The Akwa Ibom State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has recognized Rt. Hon. Nse Ntuen as the "bonafide Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly", saying Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke was duly sacked as Speaker on Monday.
The party in a media briefing at its secretariat in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, announced that it "stands by the decision of the lawmakers to elect a new speaker to lead the 6th Assembly and will support the new Speaker, Hon. Nse Ntuen as is required of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State."
State Chairman of the APC, Hon. Ini Okopido, who spoke on behalf of the party, also declared as null and void the purported sacking of five lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) by Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke.
Luke, at an emergency sitting of the Assembly on Monday, announced the sack of Hon. Idongesit Ituen (Itu), Hon. Gabriel Tobby (Etim Ekpo/Ika), Hon. Victor Udofia (Ikono), Hon. Otobong Ndem (Mkpat Enin), and Hon. Nse Ntuen (Essien Udim).
Addressing newsmen, the APC State Chairman, Hon. Ini Okopido, said Onofiok Luke's action amounts to Contempt of Court as the members who defected had obtained a court injunction against declaring their seats vacant.
According to him, "the APC as a law abiding party totally condemns the actions of the former speaker in its entirety in taking the laws into his hands and embarking on absolute illegalities and acting as god by declaring the seats of members whose matters were still pending in the courts and who had existing court orders restraining him from such purported declarations."
He warned that "the APC in Akwa Ibom State cannot and will not accept the act of impunity and political rascality displayed by the former speaker in declaring the five seats of our members in the Assembly vacant."
On the case of Hon. Idongesit Ituen, Hon. Okopido said the Itu lawmaker having filed an appeal against the judgement and applied for Stay of Execution Order against the judgement, obtained same which was duly served on Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke.
"His disobedience to extant orders of the court is most contemptuous and despicable of a chief lawmaker who had sworn to respect and protect the laws of the land", Okopido decried.
Hon. Okopido also accused Onofiok Luke of double standards.
"You will all recall that the first person to decamp in the current Assembly was the member representing Urueoffong/Oruko State Constituency, Hon. Asuquo Archibong who won election to the State House of Assembly on the platform of the APC.
"The Speaker did not declare his seat vacant at the time he decamped from his party for no just cause. Even when Mr. Speaker purported to do a blanket declaration of all members that decamped from parties that sponsored their elections, he carefully avoided touching the seat of the member representing Urueoffong/ Oruko, simply because he decamped to his party, the PDP", he concluded.
(C) Ofonime Honesty
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