Akwa Ibom House Of Assembly Crisis: CLO Explains Role, Wants Lawmakers To Embrace Peace, CLO

TEXT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE CIVIL LIBERTIES ORGANISATION (CLO), AKWA IBOM STATE BRANCH HELD ON WEDNESDAY, 26TH DECEMBER, 2018, ON THE CRISIS ROCKING THE AKWA IBOM STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY.

Gentlemen of the Press,

I welcome you to this second Press Conference on the crisis rocking the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly (AKHA).

This Press Conference is intended to brief Akwa Ibom people, Nigerians and, indeed, the international community on the efforts of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) in resolving the crisis threatening the foundation of our democracy in Akwa Ibom State. It is also intended to brief you on the outcome of the peace meeting convened by the CLO on Monday, 24th December, 2018, at the Bar Centre of the Nigerian Bar Association, Uyo Branch, Judiciary Headquarters, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The CLO peace meeting was sequel to two earlier peace meetings held on 17th and 19th December, 2018, respectively, at the office of the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, where all parties with respect to the House of Assembly crisis were present and/or duly represented.

For the avoidance of doubt, the meeting of 17th December, 2018, had in attendance the following persons: the Deputy Speaker and the Chief Whip of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Felicia Bassey and Hon. Emmanuel Bassey Ekpenyong, respectively. Others were: the lawyers to the AKHA Speaker, Ekemini Udim, Esq. and Toyo Jimmy, Esq; the State Secretary of PDP, Hon. Harrison Ekpo; the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth Mobilisation, Mr. Aniefiok Iwa-Udofia; the State Chairman of APC, Hon. Ini Okopido; the State Secretary of APC, Mr. Augustine Ekanem; the State Legal Adviser of APC, Tom Udonsek, Esq.; the lawyers to the five affected lawmakers: Chief Victor Iyanam, and Jumbo Uyo Udom, Esq.; the State Director of the DSS, S. M. Waziri; the Chairman of CLO, Otuekong Franklyn Isong; the Legal Secretary of CLO, Ekere Ebong, Esq., and several other stakeholders, including the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Musa Kimo - who convened the meeting.

The peace meeting of 19th December, 2018, had in attendance the following persons: the State Chairman of PDP, Obong Paul Ekpo; the State Legal Adviser of PDP, Goddy Umoh, Esq.; the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uwemedimo Nwoko, Esq., who was represented by Bassey J. Ekanem, Esq.; the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth Mobilisation, Mr. Aniefiok Iwa-Udofia; the State Chairman of APC, Hon. Ini Okopido; one of the five affected lawmakers, Hon. Idongesit Ituen; lawyers to the five affected lawmakers, Ini Ekpo, Esq.; Chief Victor  Iyanam, Esq. and Jumbo Udom, Esq.; the State Legal Adviser of APC, Tom Udonsek, Esq.; the State Director of DSS, S. M. Waziri; the Chairman of CLO, Otuekong Franklyn Isong; the State Legal Secretary of CLO, Ekere Ebong, Esq., and several other stakeholders, including the Commissioner of Police, Mr Musa Kimo – the convener.

It was in the peace meeting of 19th December, 2018, that it was unanimously agreed by all the parties present, that the Civil Liberties Organisation - being a neutral body - should convene another peace meeting at a neutral venue, to be attended by all the parties and stakeholders, aimed at resolving the crisis.

The Civil Liberties Organisation, as you know, is a renowned human rights-cum-pro-democracy organisation committed to the preservation of the rights of Nigerian citizens and protection of our democracy.

You are aware of the many efforts and contributions made by the CLO, working with the international community and several other civil society groups in the country, to ensure the return to democratic rule in Nigeria. Therefore, CLO will be failing Nigerians as a pro-democracy group, if we do not safeguard and ensure the sustenance of democracy - which we fought for - by ensuring that the conducts, actions and inactions of our political class conform with the democratic principle. That is why we accepted the herculean task to convoke the peace meeting of 24th December, 2018, hoping that at the end, parties would sheathe their swords, so that, peace can prevail, and the House of Assembly will be able to carry on with its normal legislative businesses unhindered.

Background of the Crisis and CLO’s Peace Efforts:

On Monday, 19th November, 2018, the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Onofiok Luke, had declared the seats of five State Lawmakers, to wit, Rt. Hon. Nse Ntuen, Rt. Hon. Idongesit Ituen, Hon. Otobong Ndem, Rt. Hon. Victor Udofia and Rt. Hon. Gabriel Toby, vacant, on grounds of their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing Section 109 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). The affected lawmakers had been in courts with the Speaker on the subject matter prior to the 19th November, 2018.

Again, on that fateful day, the House of Assembly, its premises and environs were invaded by persons who had no business in the House of Assembly. But for the swift intervention of the Police, DSS and other security agencies in the State, it would have resulted into breakdown of law and order in the State. Subsequently, the five affected lawmakers sat and made one of them Speaker, and the crisis lingered till this day.

On Friday, 23rd November, 2018, the Civil Liberties Organisation held its first Press Conference on the crisis, whereat our position, as a watchdog of our democracy, was clearly stated to the general public. Text of the said Press Conference was widely published in the media.

Worthy of mention is the fact that on Tuesday, 27th November, 2018, the five affected lawmakers sat in the Chambers of the AKHA, and thereafter, the 21 other lawmakers also sat in the same Chambers, leading to a clash between the two factions and their supporters. There was pandemonium and anarchy: the House of Assembly erupted in crisis, the presence of the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, at the Assembly, notwithstanding, the House of Assembly was under a siege throughout that day.

CLO believes that the House of Assembly (otherwise known as The Parliament) is the fulcrum of democracy and should not be toyed with. Because the destiny and hopes of Akwa Ibom people rest on the House of Assembly, that is why we are pleading with all the parties and stakeholders, especially, the State lawmakers, not to do anything to further ridicule the House of Assembly, and by extension, reduce the image of the Assembly in the eyes of the people. Rather, everyone should do everything democratically possible to protect, preserve and ensure the existence of the Parliament.

The CLO peace meeting under reference, did not set out to constitute itself to sit on appeal on matters that are before the courts of law with respect to the crisis in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, as appeared to be misconstrued in certain quarters.

It is equally erroneous and mischievous for parties who had attended the peace meetings of 17th and 19th December, 2018 at the office of the Commissioner of Police, and who had voluntarily agreed to meet at a peace meeting to be convened by the CLO, as a neutral body at a neutral venue, to later turn back, boycott the same meeting, and cast aspersion at the CLO and the laudable trouble shooting effort of the Commissioner of Police, which they mischievously alluded to, in one of their letters as a “meddlesome interloper.”

We commend the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Mr Musa Kimo, and his team; the State Director of the DSS, Mr S.M. Waziri and his team; the five affected lawmakers and their legal team; the State Chairman of the APC and his team, and other stakeholders who attended the CLO peace meeting of 24th December, 2018, including the CLO South South officials led by the CLO South-South Zonal Chairman and Member, CLO Board of  Governors, Comrade Karl Chinedu Uchegbu.

CLO is, however, saddened that the leadership of the State House of Assembly, the Counsel to Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Ekemini Udim, Esq., and the PDP, declined to attend the peace meeting, their reason being that the matter is sub-judice, since the matters are already pending in the courts of law.  By boycotting the peace meeting, the leadership of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, the Counsel to the Speaker of the AKHA, and the PDP, thus failed to utilise what we consider as a golden opportunity to resolve the lingering crisis and bring lasting peace to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.

It is on record that the same parties who boycotted the CLO peace meeting citing contempt of court and sub-judice had ironically travelled to Abuja and appeared before the Senate committee set up by the leadership of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to look into the same AKHA crisis, even when the matters were still pending in the courts. Yet, the CLO peace meeting was an innocuous and beneficial Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) intervention in the manner of the intervention by the Senate on the same matter.

CLO wishes to reiterate that the Rules of Procedure of the High Courts, the Court of Appeal, and even the Supreme Court, all allow for the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms in cases pending before those courts.

CLO restates that her interest in the crisis currently rocking the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly is purely altruistic.  CLO is sanguine that democracy requires peace to thrive, hence all hands should be actively on deck to ensure and promote peace in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.

While we urge the security agencies to maintain their neutrality, we declare our unalloyed resolve to continue to explore all avenues towards restoring peace to the bastion of democracy in Akwa Ibom State.

Thank you and God bless Akwa Ibom State.

Signed:

Comrade (Otuekong) Franklyn Isong                               

State Chairman