Invasion Of Akwa Ibom House Of Assembly: Assault On Our Democracy – Senator Bob
Former Senate Committee Chairman on Senate Services, Senator Effiong Bob has described the recent invasion of the premises and the hallow chambers of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly by five former members of the House as an assault on our hard earned democracy and the collective psyche of the Akwa Ibom people.
Senator Bob, a lawyer with several years post call to bar experience, a two term senator of the Federal Republic and member of the ECOWAS Parliament, who was also Deputy Speaker/member of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, wondered why lawmakers should be the ones violating the law.
He said that the seats of the five former lawmakers having been declared vacant in compliance with the judgement of a court of competent jurisdiction, as lawmakers, the sacked members should have known where to go to seek remedy instead of resorting to wanton lawlessness and breach of the peace in the state.
Senator Bob frowned at a situation where five people could superintend over the affairs of a House of Assembly made up of 26 members stressing that it is a clear contravention of the constitution and the standing rules of the House.
Senator Bob, who was also Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance explained that allowing such misdemeanor to endure would breed anarchy, and emphasized that it is not what the state needs.
He said that for bringing in a fake mace, a fake Sergeant at Arms and a fake Clerk of the House to the Assembly, whether the five former lawmakers were sponsored or not is immaterial, they have to be arrested and prosecuted for desecrating the House and making ridicule of our democratic tenets in the eyes of the world.
Senator Bob said that the state has witnessed peace for the past three and half years adding that nobody or group of persons should, by their actions, take the state backwards to the dark days of kidnapping, politically motivated killings, child theft and other forms of insecurity which retarded progress and development in the state.
He noted that the prevailing peace and security in the state has brought about rapid industrial revolution in the state, adding that nobody should take the state back to those dark days.
On the alleged support given to the miscreants by security operatives in the state, Senator Bob, who is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, said that for the security agencies to absolve themselves of the blame, they must seek out, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the sacrilegious invasion of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
Senator Bob commended the state Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, for his swift intervention as the Chief Security officer of the state which saw to the return of normalcy to the House of Assembly.
He also commended the 21 lawmakers led by the Speaker, Hon Onofiok Luke, for behaving responsibly by not taking the laws into their hands and the people of the state for always supporting the truth and standing up for democracy against brute force, dictatorial tendencies and violence.
