Premium Times is reporting that
Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa
Ibom state supervised the beating
of a lawmaker.
The Akwa Ibom state House of
Assembly has descended into
a serious crisis after the state
governor, Godswill Akpabio,
personally supervised the
beating of a lawmaker he
suspected to be politically
opposed to him and his
loyalists, Premium Times has
learnt.
Mr. Akpabio, witnesses said,
watched as his loyalists
manhandled Onofiok Luke,
chairman of the House
Committee on Finance and
Appropriations, who was
accused of being rude to the
governor after he rose in
defense of another lawmaker
accused of challenging a
loyalist of the governor at a
caucus meeting held two days
earlier.
The governor, our sources
said, beamed with smiles as
members of his kitchen
cabinet, comprising Nse
Ntuen, chairman of Essien
Udim local government and
Emmanuel Ekon, a member
representing Abak/Ika/Etim
Ekpo federal constituency in
the House of Representatives,
assaulted Mr. Luke for being
allegedly rude to the governor.
The incident happened November 2
at a funeral service in honour of
the mother-in-law of a state
lawmaker, Gabriel Tobi, held in
Etim Ekpo local government area of
the state.
Mr. Akpabio had at the event
summoned some lawmakers and
tongue-lashed them for doing
nothing after Victor Udofia, a
lawmaker representing Ikono/Ini
state Constituency, allegedly
attacked his loyalist, Aniekan
Akpan, a member representing
Ukanafun state constituency, at a
caucus meeting of the House.
Witnesses say as the governor
fumed and abused Mr. Udofia, who
was not at the event, an equally
furious Mr. Luke rose in defence of
his colleague, telling the governor
to abandon his divide-and-rule
tactics in the interest of the state.
The governor had directed the
speaker of the Assembly, Sam Ikon,
to immediately activate a process
that would lead to the suspension
of Mr. Udofia from the House. But
Mr. Luke reportedly shot back,
saying Mr. Udofia committed no
offence and that any move to
punish him would be resisted.
Angered by Mr. Luke’s audacity,
Messrs Ekon and Ntuen descended
on him, hitting and punching him
repeatedly.
Mr. Akpabio simply looked on, our
sources said.
The fight, we learnt, only ended
after Paul Ekpo, the state Chairman
of the Peoples Democratic Party,
intervened.
The Akwa state House of Assembly
is now divided along those from
the governor’s minority Annang
ethnic group and those from the
majority Ibibio ethnic group.
Some lawmakers accuse Mr.
Akpabio of financially empowering
legislators from his ethnic group
and then using them to undermine
the speaker and other lawmakers
from Ibibioland.
Messrs Ntuen and Ekon, who
attacked Mr. Luke, are from Mr.
Akpabio’s Annang ethnic group
while Mr. Luke is Ibibio.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that after
the incident, Mr. Akpabio directed
his aides to embark on a tour of
media establishments to
compromise them and get them to
drop stories on the accident.
Concerned that the incident might
do further damage to his image,
our sources within the
administration said, the governor
also hurriedly convened a press
conference where he allegedly
bribed reporters with N50,000 each
not to report the incident.
Mr. Akpabio could not be reached
to comment for this story.
But his spokesperson, who is also
the state Commissioner for
Information, Aniekan Umanah,
confirmed there was a
disagreement between Mr. Onofiok
and the governor.
Mr. Umanah said while talking to
the governor on the day in
question, the lawmaker raised his
voice against Mr. Akpabio.
“Other members asked him not to
shout because he was talking to the
governor,” Mr. Umanah said.
“Later, everything calmed down.”
The commissioner added via a text
message, “I was there in person.
Nobody beat up Onofiok talk less
of doing so before the governor.”
Mr. Onofiok could not be reached
for comments. But a source close
to him said he had been under
pressure from Governor Akpabio in
the last few days to address the
media to say he was never beaten
by the governor’s loyalists.
Na wa oo! !
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