THE Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has said it would reconvene on Monday (today) to decide the fate of the impeached speaker, Obong Ignatius Edet, and his deputy, Chief Okon Uwah, over allegations of financial impropriety levelled against them.
The Speaker and his deputy were impeached by 22 out of the 26 lawmakers on Wednesday and a speaker protemporee was elected to run the affairs of the House in the interim.
The assembly, however, elected Obong Jack Udota, to replace Edet. Udota is a two-time member of the House representing Eket Constituency.
A source told our correspondent that all efforts made by the State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, to reinstate the speaker and his deputy proved abortive as the lawmakers insisted on their removal.
The source pointed out that the lawmakers were successful this time because the governor was not in the state when the impeachment notice was served on the speaker and his deputy.
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Usoro Usoro dismissed claim that the governor was trying to influence the choice of a new speaker.
Usoro noted that the House was an independent body with lawmakers from different constituencies, adding that it was their responsibility to elect the new speaker and the deputy and not the state governor.
Usoro said, “The governor has not begun any search for the new speaker and the deputy. It is not true, since the house is an independent body, the lawmakers will do that themselves.
“They are the one that impeached the former speaker and the deputy, they should be the one to elect new ones and not the governor.”
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