‘Ibom Assembly Crsis: PDP Floors APC over defected members
The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State has floored the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a court case involving the defection of its five members to the opposition party last year.
This followed a judgment of a Federal High Court sitting in Uyo and presided over by Justice Fatun Riman which declared the seat of Nse Ntuen, of Essien Udim state constituency vacant thus bringing to an end the case involving the sacked lawmakers.
The State House of Assembly last year declared the seats of lawmakers representing Essien Udim, Mkpat Enin, Itu, Ikono and Etim Ekpo/ika vacant following their defection to the APC.
The five lawmakers later dragged the Speaker to court challenging the declaration of their seats vacant.
During the crisis, one of the five lawmakers, Nse Ntuen was elected the speaker while all other members were suspended.
The court had earlier declared the seats of the other
four lawmakers vacant except that of Essien Udim State constituency whose judgment was not different from others.
Reacting to the judgment of the Federal High Court therefore, the PDP at a press conference in Uyo applauded the court for causing justice to be done in the case of the defected assembly members.
Ini Ememobong, the party’s publicity secretary stated that the seats of the lawmakers were declared vacant by reason of their defection from the PDP without lawful justification.
“All five cases instituted by these sacked lawmakers were premised on several falsehood ranging from the claim that the coalition entered into by the PDP with other parties was a merger, to the fact that the sacked lawmakers, were summarily expelled from the party”.
The party recalled the drama and “shame brought upon the state when the sacked lawmakers
Invaded the state House of Assembly “and claimed to have impeached the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke and declared one Nse Ntuen as the speaker.
“These same lawmakers, with the active backing of their Warsaw general and party, created a house of comedy, wherein they claimed to have impeached the legitimate Speaker of the House of Assembly.
“If there is any, their reaction should be to unreservedly apologise to Akwa Ibom people and the entire world for the needless show of shame that they brazenly brought upon us and the unnecessary strain cum pressure on the polity.
“But by experience and observation, no reasonable person is expectant of such courtesy from the band of unprincipled fellows who currently lead the broom wielding movement.
“One by one, the court resolved all the issues in the substantive suits, against the lawmakers and held that their seats were vacant by reason of their defection from the PDP without lawful justification,” it said.
Recalling what it described as ‘ the many lies of the Akwa Ibom APC’, the PDP accused its opponent of preserving a long thread of transparent lies “disingenuously sewn and shamelessly hawked by his agents.