The Empire

All hell broke loose, yesterday 25th June 2020, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during an after-party organized by the Nigerian Bar Association (“NBA”), Port Harcourt Branch otherwise known as “The Integrity Branch”, at the Coral Reef Hotel, GRA, Port Harcourt, for the newly elected Executive Officers of the Branch. The after-party was reportedly bankrolled by one of the Presidential candidates in the upcoming NBA National elections, Mr. Olumide Akpata, who braved the interstate lockdown regulations and the NBA elections guidelines prohibiting candidates from visiting branches for campaigns, to be physically present at the after-party in Port Harcourt.  According to the eyewitness, who pleads anonymity, matters degenerated into an ugly fight when a very senior member of the Bar, who was in attendance at the event, attempted to record Mr. Olumide Akpata while Mr. Akpata was giving his campaign speech from the podium. To everyone’s shock and utter disbelief, the senior lawyer, w

By Ani Michael The member representing Esit Eket/Ibeno State Constituency in Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon(Dr) Usoro Akpanusoh, said his seat in the Assembly in 2023 would be vacant and all eligible persons from Esit Eket and Ibeno local government areas with intentions to occupy the seat are by law free to contest and vie for it. Akpanusoh, a frontline member of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, who is at the centre of ensuring the implementation of an agreed rotation of political positions in Esit Eket local government area, which in his view is for political stability, peaceful co-existence, political growth and harmony, however said, the chairmanship position in Esit Eket local government area after the expiration of the tenure of the current local government administration in the state is the exclusive right of Zone B political block in Esit Eket local government area. "I must be honest at all times.The truth now is on Zone B I stand. Whoever want

By Edem Andem The National Leader of Association for Better Esit Eket, Mr. Ayatollah Uyoata Azam, has described Congresses of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that was conducted in Esit Eket as sham and reason for the political crisis in the area. Mr. Uyoata said the congresses were conducted without respect and consideration to the PDP Constitution that allows for inclusiveness, fairness, equity, justice and internal democracy. Speaking further, he said “We are in court to seek redress and save our party in Esit Eket from collapse. We wish to state emphatically that we cannot allow a troika to decide the fate of PDP in Esit Eket. How can one man disregard other stakeholders of the party and thinks he can impose the the state officer, chapter chairman, ward chairmen and other party officers on all of us, particularly on Distinguished Senator Etang Edet Umoyo and Rt. Hon. Usoro Akpanusoh? How does it sound to you when a two term member of the State House of Assembly and a Senat

The last is yet to be heard involving issues between some Council Chairmen, Aides and the legislature at that level as the recent is a petition to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly from Supervisors who were sacked by the Chairman of Esit Eket, Mr. Iniobong Robson.  The petition dated 11th May and addressed to the Chairman House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs described the Council Chairman as running the Council against the provisions of the Local Government Administration Law through disbursement of unappropriated funds, non disclosure of accrued monthly allocation, failure to constitute Statutory Committees among other issues. The petition which was signed by Mr. Urua Urua former Supervisor for Youths/Sports, Daniel Stephen former Supervisor for Agriculture and Mr. Asuquo Udoh former S/A Commerce and Investment also accused the Council Chairman for allegedly continued payment of salary to a deceased Supervisor, Late Iberedem Akadu who had be

Barely few days after the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly received petition of gross misconduct, highhandedness and misappropriation of funds against the Chairman of Esit Eket Local Government Council, Hon. Iniobong Robson, another, on character assassination, has been registered. The petition, which might likely cause Hon. Robson’s suspension as Chairman of Esit Eket, was made by the member representing Esit Eket/Ibeno State Constituency in the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Usoro Akpanusoh. The lawmaker, in the petition, sought immediate apologies and detraction an alleged libelous publication, saying “our laws stoutly advocates for the respect of my dignity and integrity as human and jettisons imprudent and malicious publications capable of undermining and underestimating my reputation, hence my right to defend my injured reputation.” According to the petition, “Hon. Iniobong Robson, the Executive Chairman of Esit Eket Local Government Area who ought to be a model of discip

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has suspended the Chairman of Nsit Atai Local Government Council, Lady Emem Ibanga, and that of Uyo, Elder Imo Okon, indefinitely for alleged gross misconduct and administrative inefficiency. The Assembly has directed their respective Vice Chairmen, Mr. Idorenyin Effiong Inyang, and Ukai Udeme Emmanuel to take over immediately. This followed a resolution of the House read by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, after taking reports from Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Public Petitions; Hon. Victor Ekwere, and that of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Rt. Hon. Mark Esset. The Speaker said the House resolution was based on Section 81 (1) of the Local Government Administration Law (2017) as amended, which says “Where the peaceful functioning of the Local Government or its Council is hindered by protracted crisis, the House of Assembly may, by a resolution passed by a simple majority of all its Members, imp

By Substance Nature By generating about N32.3billion  Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) in fiscal year 2019,  Akwa Ibom State has continued its impressive growth trends in the past three years and that has placed the State in the 7th position in the nationwide ranking released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), last weekend.   According to the latest report by the NBS, a national body that monitors and publishes statistics of sectoral and composite growth patterns of private, corporate and government organizations in the country, Akwa Ibom has launched itself and retained its position as one of the top economically vibrant States in the country under the celebrated leadership of Gov. Udom Emmanuel. By this rapid leap, the stellar performance sees the State occupying the 5th and 3rd positions in the entire South and South-South/South-East geopolitical zones of the country, respectively. In the South-South/South East of the country, Akwa Ibom comes next only to Rivers a