Tuesday, 1 July 2014

Ikon in money mess * Fails to share pension bribe equally

Ikon in money mess * Fails to share pension bribe equally

* House recess was a protest against the Speaker, it was an emergency, says lawmaker

Strong indications have emerged that all is not well with the 26 members of the AkwaIbom State House of Assembly even while they are on recess.

This reporter can authoritatively report that the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Elder Sam Ikon has continued to incur the wrath of his colleagues and this time it is due to his deliberate efforts in cheating some of the lawmakers over the money issued to them by the Governor on their recent acceptance to pass into law the vexed Governors and Deputy Governors bill which was later reconsidered by Akpabio.
The State House of Assembly crisis which was said to have been led to rest following the interventions by some influential individuals in the state resurfaced again during the controversial pension bill for former Governors and their Deputies that was sent to the House of Assembly by the state Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio for passage into law by the state lawmakers. 

The anti Ikon lawmakers wanted the house to adjust some clauses in the bill to make provisions for those deputy governors who have not served up to 3 years as stipulated by the pension bill, arguing that the house should make the law in such a way that if somebody comes in and serve the state for one year as deputy governor considering some political intrigues that may be involved and the person leaves office, that such a person should not be abandoned just like that without anything to go home with though it may not be the same as the one who have served up to 2 to 3 years or the one who have completed a 4 year tenure.

This position did not go down well with the speaker, Sam Ikon who have assured the governor a speedy passage of the bill as it was sent to the house, that make the speaker so uncomfortable with some members, and resorted to publicly telling some members that their disloyalty to his leadership was not a new thing to him as they have failed in their plots to remove him from office before now.

A source very close to a member of the house who pleaded anonymity hinted this reporter that the statement by the speaker did not go down well with some members which has split the house since then is currently taking a different dimension. The debate which resulted in voting faced a stiff resistance by anti Ikon members.

After the stormy session before the passage of the bill which some members left the chambers in protest, it has become relatively impossible for the speaker to have a sizeable number of members to conduct sittings. For three consecutive times the house have sat since the passage of the controversial pension bill into law without having the required number of members to form a quorum before sitting. It was also gathered that the anti Ikon state lawmakers have refused to attend any meeting with the speaker including house sitting.
The development according to a source from the Assembly complex has forced the state house of assembly to drop its earlier plan of marking the end of the 3rd legislative session which a planning committee headed by the deputy speaker, Hon UdoKerianAkpan as chairman was set-up in April this year with eight others as members. He maintained that since most of the planning committee members were opposed to Sam Ikon’s leadership of the house, they have also refused to attend any of the committee meetings which have crippled the successful ending of the 3rd legislative year as some members of the committee were either said to have travelled out of the state or refused to comply.

The source further disclosed that the speaker has lose grip of members as the majority of the state legislators are no more loyal to him again which may pave way for the lawmakers to succeed in removing Sam Ikon this time. 

To save his face from the embarrassing situation and see if he can lobby some influential people in the state to help him call his colleagues to order, the house abandoned the celebration of its legislative year and immediately embarked on emergency recess that may last for 2 months before resuming plenary. 
The problem started when the money that came with the executive bill could not get to some members at the proportions it was supposed to be given to them due to their earlier rejection and condemnations of the bill when it was first introduced on the floor of the house. To this end, Ikon is said to have shortchanged some of his members especially the ones who had issues with the bill on pension matters.

An Assemblyman from Uyo senatorial district informed our reporter that Ikon thinks he can take them on a ride and queried why he had to share money unequally. He informed that the aggrieved members are not going to take things kindly as they have since resolved plans to get back at the speaker.  It was not clear whether the money has been paid in cash but our source said from the paper work, there are huge inequalities and that even those who supported the bill as it came have been shortchanged. 

He said when the House resumes plenary; the alarm will blow arguing that they will show what they are capable of doing this time around. When informed that money had already been paid at metro before this time, our source said while acknowledging that money had exchanged hands at metro hinted that the said metro money was cash paid lawmakers when they lawmakers died the move of impeaching the speaker the last time such moves were made. He said the State Governor is aware of the vexed pension bill issue and after the House had played to his billings, he needed to cash them and that the speaker has displayed serious signs of inequality by the sharing formulae.



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