UbongAbasi Ise

By UbongAbasi Ise As the 7 th AkwaIbom State House of Assembly was proclaimed on Monday, Sir Nse Ntuen, who was denied certificate of return by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, following his declaration as winner of Essien Udim State Constituency election, was seen at state High Court at Metro Roa d, Uyo, the venue of National Assembly Election Tribunal. The embattled lawmaker was at the tribunal where Senator Godswill Akpabio is challenging the declaration of Engr. Chris Ekpenyong as the winner of Akwa Ibom Northwest Senatorial election. Ntuen was conspicuously seen with Senator Akpabio whose presence exhilarated his teeming supporters that turned out at the commencement of the main trial. Meanwhile, the member representing Uruan State Constituency, Mr. Aniekan Bassey, at inaugural plenary, emerged the speaker of the 7th Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. A motion to nominate him as speaker was moved by Mr. Nse Essien, member representing Onna S...

By UbongAbasi Ise The national assembly tribunal sitting in Uyo over the post-election matter brought before it by Senator Godswill Akpabio, challenging the declaration of Engr. Chris Ekpenyong as the winner of   Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial election, on Monday commenced   formal hearing with the patience of the tribunal passing through some real tests. Confusion set in when Solomon Umoh,  SAN, counsel to the 2 nd respondent (Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP), while tendering certified true copies of documents   from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, claimed to have been submitted the total of 61 copies,   while 51 was confirmed after counted. The documents include one copy of EC 40 G (1) which goes with five copies of analysis, a receipt for payment of N1,680,   and 44 reports by INEC officials of what happened in Essien Udim local government area, with all the documents totaling 51. The Petitioner’s counsel, S.I. Ameh...

By UbongAbasi Ise The APC faithful all over the state were like strangers in their own land on Wednesday May 29, 2019 , when Mr. Udom Emmanuel was sworn-in for the second time as the governor of Akwa Ibom State. To some, Godswill Akpabio International Stadium was just a ‘no-go’ area.   The party sympathizers in the state were mere onlookers or simply overlooking the whole event, not without pang of envy or regrets. They could have been the ones celebrating a governor sworn in from their own political stock, after all, they had all the indicators of victory that were going positive for them, ranging from massive support base, cerebral politicians, sophisticated elites, resources, and so-called federal might. Besides, there was a nonperforming incumbent government that was selling campaign points to the opposition.   All that was lacking within the APC was the right leadership that could have mobilized its members to defend their votes at all the levels of collation. At ...

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...