By John Akpan
A media advocacy group based in Uyo known as Journalists Advocating for Integrity in Reportage has called on the Human Rights Lawyers and Civil Society Groups for Sustainable Rule of law in Nigeria (HRLCSGRLN) to redeem its image by withdrawing its earlier statement in what the group calls -unlawful request that a man who never took part in the 7th December,2014 Akwa Ibom North East Senatorial District primary held at the Uyo township stadium against the PDP and the Electoral Act guidelines, Mr Bassey Etim should be sworn in.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of the group, Mr Samuel Odungide, a renowned Journalist and made available to the media in Uyo said it is even more painful that Mr. Bassey Etim conducted a parallel primary in his village, Ibiaku Ishiet Primary School in Uruan and brought together under-aged persons as delegates as the video of that illegal primary can show and urged the group to retract their statement if credibility is anything to go by.
’’We have watched carefully all that transpired during the trial of the case at the Federal High Court 2, Uyo, the unjust judgment against the good people of the Akwa Ibom North East by Justice Fatun Riman who gladly accepted the forged documents as it relates to the delegates list as well as the result sheet Etim tendered in court and ignored INEC report and other submissions by Senator Albert on the said primary to give judgment can only leave us to conclude that the judgment was ‘bought’ by Etim a specialist in backdoor politics owing to his history of always manipulating the court to get to public office’’ the statement added.
The group also queried the rationale behind the Akwa Ibom Community in Abuja that also recently took a biased position on the subject, who never witnessed the weird trial to see the animosity expressed at all times by the trial judge,Fatun Riman and other unconventional things that transpired to now urge the Senate to swear in Etim.
They emphasized that it will be a rape on our nascent democracy for their wish to be taken seriously since in the first place the said judgment has been appealed at the Appellate court in Calabar and there is a subsisting order by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Fedral High Court, Abuja as it where nullifying the Certificate of Return erroneously issued Bassey Etim by INEC on account of the 27th February,2017 Uyo Court judgment, so on what basis are they calling for Etim’s swearing in and where then is justice? they queried.
The statement also pointed out that the Akwa Ibom Community in Abuja should not reduce itself to a political group by making unguarded statements just because some peanuts have been given to its leadership which may not extend to the membership by Bassey Etim even when they are far away from home and not in the know of the issues therein.
‘’It will be strange for the Community to express such a careless statement like - swear in Etim to avert chaos, when back home the good people are on daily basis from the party (PDP), Elders of Akwa Ibom North East, Youth leaders, Villages Youth leaders, students and women are identifying with Distinguished Senator Albert, their duly elected Senator over the unwarranted Federal High Court 2, Uyo judgment and warned them to face their livelihood in Abuja or get the body properly registered as a political pressure group to justify the money collecting status from politicians whenever they want a dirty job executed.
They seriously frown at the action of the Community which they said the action of the present leadership diminishes the quality of leaders the community could boast of years back not only in Abuja but across the federation who never got enmeshed in illegality.
The media group urged the Senate leadership as a responsible arm of government to ignore the insinuations by both HRLCSGRLN and Akwa Ibom Community in Abuja and see it as a misplaced priority, corrupt minded thoughts and poor understanding of legal interpretation on the issue at hand while commending Senator Bassey Albert representing Akwa Ibom North East in the 8th Senate and Chair of the sxteemed Senate Committee on Gas for the effective representation of the people of the Senatorial District given his legislative strides with two bills already to his credit and the third having gone through second reading as well as keeping a very close connect with the people.
They appreciated him for the completed constituency projects that are life touching spreading across the nine LGAs that make up the District, the on-going scholarship for over 130 constituents in universities across the country and training of youths in vocational skills as well as giving them huge financial assistance to start their businesses among others.
They said Senator Albert should be allowed to exhaust his constitutional right of appealing the strange judgment which he has started.
No comments: