UbongAbasi Ise

By UbongAbasi Ise Since democracy in Nigeria is truly Nigerian, the way it is communicating itself and its dividends to Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo and other ethnic nationalities in the country is not exactly the way it interprets itself to the composite of Akwa Ibom ethnics. Fundamental to this is that a Nigerianized democracy is boldly assuring the major ethnic groups that they are the lords over the system. In this way the minorities becomes acutely aware that all they have to do is to struggle at the periphery of the power constructs just to have some crumbs of the national cake. Looking at Akwa Ibom State in its age-long struggles with the forces of democratization at the national front, the number of men and women the state produces to serve the country in the higher posts of national responsibility and the number of projects and programmes it is able to attract home from the federation are miserably negative on the aggregate, although, with a slight increase during Presiden...

By UbongAbasi Ise Social Governance initiative has attracted its founder, Arc. Ezekiel Nyaetok, showers of blessings from a 117 year old Chief Thompson Akpan Umoh, who retired as a primary school headmaster in 1984. Chief Umoh, who was pleased to receive the social governance train which birthed at his residence at Ikot Inyang Ese in Ika local government area today, received gift items from his guests and prayed for Arc. Nyaetok given his kind gesture, wishing him good health, long life and increase in capacity to touch more lives. The centenarian said he served devotedly as a teacher at Udiaha Enem primary school now in Etim Ekpo local government area where he was promoted to the position of a headmaster. His daughter, Mrs. Enobong Jumbo, who spoke at the event of the visit, revealed that his father was born in 1902, and this was later confirmed by newsmen through a voter's card belonging to the retiree. Asides his sterling performance in the area of education, Chie...

By UbongAbasi Ise If Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, was a soccer referee, I bet he would have been briefing the media every now and then to preach to the world of sports the gospel of his integrity in match officiating. Perhaps he wouldn’t have stopped at that. To flaunt his integrity posturing, he would have been analyzing every odd moment in every game he officiated and then explain how brutish some players are, and how horrible their coaches are too, by making his job extremely difficult.   He would have cried to whoever cares to listen on how he is able to stand his ground despite all manner of threats to his life by aggrieved team managers that are not comfortable with his integrity. Even if umpires are not allowed to speak to media in the game of soccer, I doubt if our Igini would have shut up as a referee. He would have been more than Mark Clattenburg. After 2019 general elections as keenly observed, Mike Igini seems to be transmuting himself fr...

By UbongAbasi Ise Ahead of main trials pending at the Election Tribunal, stemming from the disputes over the outcome of the 2019 general elections, leadership of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, in Akwa Ibom State, has set up the Election Review Committee, with a mandate of reviewing the activities of the party before, during and after the general elections. In a statement released to the media and signed by the PDP state assistant publicity secretary,   Mr. Kenneth Nyong recently, the newly inaugurated Committee is charged with the responsibility of attending to all cases of assaults and injuries suffered by Party members during the Election. The statement also noted that directive has been given to the members of the State Executive Committee of the party to collate evidence of such injuries and submit them to the committee within three days from the date of inauguration of the Election Review Committee, which is chaired by Mr. Sunyiekekere Inokon, former representat...

By UbongAbasi Ise More heads are expected to roll in the Akwa Ibom State Executive Council following Governor Udom Emmanuel’s surprise sack of the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Sufficiency, Dr. Uduak Charles-Udoinyang, and the suspension of the Chairman of Local Government Service Commission, Sir (Dr.) Val Attah on Wednesday. One of the aides of the State Governor, who did not want to be named, disclosed to our correspondent that the Governor’s axe is currently dangling on the head of the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Uwemedimo Nwoko, and may strike in no distant time. The source said Barr. Nwoko fell out of favour with the state governor following Paul Usoro N1.4bn scandal where bench warrant was issued by a Federal High court sitting in Lagos against him and three other State officials. It would be recalled that, in an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in the N1.4bn fraud charges against the President ...

Arising from the ensuing cultists’ warfare in some parts of the State, a community leader Obong Dickson Inyang, has called on the State Police Command and the Judiciary to ensure strict execution of the recommendation of the State law on cultism to deter young people from taking part in cult activities in the State. Obong Inyang, who made the call yesterday, when our reporter called on him in Abak local government area, said the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly had made a bold step to eradicate cultism in the State by enacting the Anti-cultism law of Akwa Ibom State, and argued that it is now left for the Police and other Security Operatives in the State, and the Judiciary to act in compliance with the law. He maintained that when some kingpins of the various cult groups in the State are tracked by security intelligent and convicted according to the law by the judiciary, the younger ones would be deterred to carry out the heinous activity in the State. The community leader co...

By UbongAbasi Ise Hundreds of witnesses are expected to appear before the National Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Uyo when the trial proper finally commence as Senator Godswill Akpabio of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is challenging the emergence of the candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Engr. Chris Ekpenyong as the winner of February 23 Akwa Ibom Northwest senatorial election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. At the tribunal’s pre-trial conference held on Monday, Senator Akpabio, through his counsel, Adekunle Oyesanya, SAN, requested to subpoena five forensic experts as witnesses, while also seeking to bring in 16 other witnesses to give testimonies. Akpabio’s rival, Engr. Chris Ekpenyong (1 st Respondent) through his counsel, Barr. Samuel Ikpo, applied for eight subpoenaed witnesses and 154 others to testify, with number of witnesses altogether standing at 162. List of about 30 subpoenaed witnesses were sub...

By UbongAbasi Ise I could recall a hit track that used to get me homesick anytime I was outside my dear state, Akwa Ibom. Well, that was during the last two years of Godswill Akpabio’s administration. The song titled, Akwa Ibom Ayaya, done by Mish, an Akwa Ibom son, was the rave of the moment back then. The release of the hit track at the time was very apt given the fact that Uyo, the state capital, was at its prime and glory. The city of Uyo became the pride for every Akwa Ibomite home and in diaspora. It was with exceeding honour that we listen or joined the sensational chorus : I want to go home; I’m from Akwa ibom; In case you don’t know; Akwa ibom ayaya; You can enter motor; Or fly for aero; And land for Uyo; You should come with me; I’m missing the love at home… Truly, outside the state, the love of coming home to the capital city’s ambience, neatness, beauty and splendor, was indeed overwhelming. But today, Uyo is the world capital of waste, where mountains of refuse forme...

By UbongAbasi Ise The lawmaker representing Akwa Ibom Northwest (Ikot Ekpene) Senatorial District, Senator Godswill Akpabio is expected at the National Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Uyo today. An undisclosed source privy to the senator told our correspondent over weekend that former senate minority leader is likely to show up today after missing out on Friday’s sitting. In the last plenary, Senator Akpabio’s lead counsel, S.I. Ameh, SAN, had apologized to the tribunal over his client’s absence, saying the serving senator is saddled with the responsibility of processing the 2019 budget at the national assembly. But Arc. Ubokutom Nyah, the caucus Chairman of Essien Udim Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was at the tribunal on Friday, to stand in for Senator Akpabio while he was on national assignment. On the other hand, Akpabio’s main rival, Engr. Chris Ekpenyong, announced his physical presence at the court, but could not help witnessing how the C...

By UbongAbasi Ise As killings continue to go unabated at Shell Creek, a town on the Nigeria-Cameroun border, surviving settlers of the troubled area that are of Uyo and Uruan extraction, have ordered Oro indigenes residing in Uyo metropolis to leave within seven days as they may likely avenge the death of their kinsmen allegedly brought about by Asanwana militants from Mbo local government area. Speaking with our correspondent yesterday, Chief Edet Bassey, an Ibibio leader at Shell Creek, said since all calls put to the state government for intervention falls on deaf ears, they are likely to take laws into their hands as they would do everything to ensure that Oro people, including the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Emmanuel Ekuwem,   and   Mbo Paramount Ruler, Ovong Edet Okon Isemin, leave Uyo since their Oro kinsmen have decided to make their lives unbearable in a former Nigerian community that is now part of Cameroun. Chief Bassey claimed that over 10...

By UbongAbasi Ise Abak/Ika/Etim Ekpo federal constituency candidate, Mr. Emem Uboh and his Advanced Allied Party, AAP, have conceded defeat to Elder Aniekan Umanah of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP as they withdrew their petition challenging the election of the PDP candidate. At the National Assembly Tribunal sitting in Uyo Friday, Uboh pleaded that the court should strikes out the petition No: EPT/AK/HR/07/19, based on the notice of withdrawal of the petition filed by the petitioners on April 2, 2019. Accordingly, the tribunal granted leave to the Petitioners to withdraw the Petition and struck out the same in pursuant to paragraph 29 of the 1st Schedule to the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). Mr. Emem Uboh, in his affidavit in support of the motion for withdrawal, said he has conceded the defeat and the decision is out of his own free will and "without any inducement or prejudice from any of the respondents." Counsel to the PDP (1 st respondent), Sol...

By UbongAbasi Ise Barr. S. I. Ameh, counsel to Senator Godswill Akpabio (1st Petitioner), was on Friday drew the attention of the National Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Uyo to the pre-hearing applications brought before it by all the five respondents pointing that they share similar contents and arrangements. The tensed courtroom had a comic relief when   the Petitioner's counsel pointed out that the 2nd Respondent (Peoples Democratic Party, PDP), and the 3rd Respondent (the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC) including the 4th to the 5th respondents were copying wholesale, the contents of the applications filed by the 1st Respondent (Engr. Chris Ekpenyong) maintaining that counsel to Ekpenyong has patent right for all pre-hearing applications, while counsels to PDP,   INEC and other respondents enjoy the franchise to copy word for word, paragraph for paragraph from Ekpenyong's counsel. According to Ameh, "in my humble view, the franchise ...

By UbongAbasi Ise Shell Creek, a community located on the  Nigeria-Cameroun border has been razed to the ground by gunmen known as Asawana militants. The incident which occurred on Sunday had over 100 people killed by the rampaging militants who reportedly invaded the community from Asawana in Mbo local government area of Akwa Ibom State. The victims are said to be Akwa Ibom indigenes of Uruan and  Uyo extraction, who went to work at Shell Creek, a community said to have been annexed to the Camerouns. The militants attacked the residents of the community on ground that they have been paying levies to the Camerounian government instead of Mbo which purportedly owns the place. Coming on the heel of the attack, the Cameroun's gendarmes swooped on the community members, arresting over 50 Akwa Ibomites, but released them when they (gendarmes) found out they were not the culprits. Few days ago, fishermen that are the indigenes of Uruan and Uyo Local government areas,...

By UbongAbasi Ise The motion filed by the Akwa Ibom Northwest (Ikot Ekpene) Senator-Elect, Engr. Chris Ekpenyong of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for an order to stop the forensic analysis of the election materials as prayed by Senator Godswill Akpabio of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has suffered a big blow as the National Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Uyo yesterday dismissed it for lack of merit. The election tribunal chaired by  Justice W. O. Akanbi chided the PDP Senatorial candidate for seeking to cause a reversal of an exparte order it had already granted Senator Godswill Akpabio and the APC on April 2, 2019, which permitted them to go ahead with the  inspection of materials custodied by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Counsel to the PDP, Mr Solomon Umoh, SAN,  had sought a counter order praying the Tribunal to dismiss Senator Akpabio's petition in its entirety, and to set aside the petitioner's request for inspect...