AKWA IBOM HOUSE: ANATOMY OF ABUSE OF SEPARATION OF POWER

AKWA IBOM HOUSE: ANATOMY OF ABUSE OF SEPARATION OF POWER

Reading the story on page 11 of Saturday Tribune dated 22 May 2010, 21 out of 26 members of the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly impeached their Speaker Ignatius Edet and his deputy Okon Uwah. It was all over in the media. The House even published the resolution in a full page advertisement in national dailies, marshalling out their reasons which bordered on corruption, ineptitude, lack of democratic procedures, financial impropriety, etc.

The Saturday Tribune story added that “Akpabio who was outside the state on the day the impeachment took place, returned the next day in company with Edet and Uwah, who were reported to have gone to brief him in Abuja and seek his intervention”. The newspaper reported that the Police sealing off the Assembly Complex penultimate Thursday was allegedly on the orders of Governor Akpabio with the move to ensure that the aggrieved lawmakers were unable to sit under the leadership of the proteome Speaker Hon Jack Udota.

The newspaper further reported that as at the time of filing the report, the lawmakers were in a meeting summoned by the governor Akpabio at his country home in Essien Udim. We have all witnessed the election of a new Speaker; it was after the Governor allegedly doled out some money in a bid to forestall the exercise and provide a soft-landing for the embattled Speaker.

It will be recalled that this is not the first time Governor Akpabio intervened in a matter of impeachment of the Speaker who survived about four attempts. Early 2009 when the members wanted to move against the Speaker for allegedly misappropriating the sum of about N500million; it was reported that the governor had came to his aid by providing the sum again. One feels that President Jonathan should call Governor Akpabio to order as such actions are not projecting the PDP in good light; subjecting separation of power among the executive, legislature and judiciary arms of government to ridicule.

Dr. Thomas Uduak-Abasi, Plot 839 Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island, Lagos State.