Akwa Ibom Assembly crisis: The drama, twists, and turns

When I learnt that the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr. Onofiok Luke, had received an order from the court to withdraw recognition from Idongesit Ituen as the lawmaker representing Itu Constituency, I just thought, ‘another story to write’ and quickly filed the story. Not long after, I read the press […]

When I learnt that the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr. Onofiok Luke, had received an order from the court to withdraw recognition from Idongesit Ituen as the lawmaker representing Itu Constituency, I just thought, ‘another story to write’ and quickly filed the story.

Not long after, I read the press statement from the People’s Democratic Party signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ini Ememobong, alleging that the aggrieved lawmaker was planning to protest the decision of the Speaker to withdraw his recognition as a lawmaker, again I said to myself, ‘hmm… yet another story to write!’. Never in my wildest imagination did I think I would be scampering for safety from gunshots and teargas at the House of Assembly some days later.

As usual, in the morning of Monday, November 19, 2018, I was preparing to leave for work when I received a call from a colleague that there was crisis in the House of Assembly. I quickly made some phone calls to colleagues to confirm the story and when it was verified, I dashed to the House of Assembly.

On getting there, I saw that the area was heavily and unusually guarded by policemen. Many buses were parked on both sides of the road. Some youths comprising young men and a few ladies over one hundred clustered in groups talking, some were carrying placards protesting the action of the Speaker, others were insisting that Idongesit Ituen could only be removed by his constituency and not by the Speaker.

Policemen barricaded the gate to the Assembly complex to prevent the protesting youths from gaining entrance. I quickly drove past the protesters and parked some distance from them. I alighted, walked towards the Assembly gate and identified myself to the policemen and I was allowed to enter the complex.

Inside, there was calm except for the policemen outside and a few inside. I discovered that the staff went about their duties unhindered but noticed broken pieces of window glasses littered around the Assembly chambers. I later learnt that the aggrieved lawmaker and his loyalists had gained entrance into the place and were trying to enter the chambers. After a while, I saw the Commissioner of Police John Abang and his retinue leave the premises after a meeting with the Speaker. The House had adjourned till the next Tuesday. So, I left the premises to file my story.

On Wednesday, November 14, the All Progressives Congress had a press conference supporting the five sacked lawmakers and their actions in picking a new Speaker while the next day (Thursday), the People’s Democratic Party had its own press conference alleging that the APC was planning to cause chaos in the state. All these events happened without any unusual occurrence. On Friday, November 16, I learnt that the police that had hitherto barricaded the Assembly and not allowed anyone into the premises had withdrawn.

Early on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, as I was preparing to leave for the House of Assembly complex, I received a call from a colleague saying that the aggrieved lawmakers had taken over the Assembly. As usual, I sought confirmation from another source and when the information I earlier received was verified, I set out for the Assembly. On getting there, the gates were barricaded by policemen to prevent some youths from entering. I sought a safe place to park my car and as I approached the gate of the complex, I met a colleague who said I had missed the sitting of the aggrieved lawmakers, and the unrest that followed.

Just then, another colleague alighted from a commercial tricycle (keke) and we walked towards the gate while exchanging pleasantries. Almost immediately, we heard the blaring of sirens as some youths surged towards the gate, shouting.

I was trying to follow them when my colleague pulled me back, asking me not to be too quick to follow them. Then, I brought out my phone and started taking pictures before we discovered that it was the convoy of the state governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel. We followed the convoy into the Assembly complex.

Inside the complex, the governor alighted from the car and the atmosphere became charged as his supporters surged towards him while security personnel began to fire gunshots. From the distance where I watched, the governor proceeded to enter the Assembly hall while the youths that followed him sang songs.

As my colleague and I got close to the entrance of the hall, I noticed the factional Speaker, Nse Ntuen, standing beside his car with some policemen asking him to leave. Almost immediately, some people started hitting his car, asking the driver to move it away. The driver panicked and drove into the nearby garden to escape assault while Ntuen was pushed and shoved.

In the ensuing encounter, gunshots were fired and I had to run for safety behind the hall. There, I found four unarmed policemen/women attached to the Assembly fidgeting on hearing gun shots.  As gun welding security men approached the area with Ntuen, I hurriedly left the place to avoid any encounter with them.

Inside the hall, the governor proceeded to have an audience with the Speaker, Onofiok Luke, with journalists allowed into the chambers. I had to struggle to breathe as the hall had already been tear-gassed. Finally, I was able to find a seat where I could sit and breathe freely.

From the Assembly, journalists proceeded to the governor’s lodge at the Government House to attend a press conference to be addressed by Governor Udom Emmanuel. It was while waiting that I remembered I had not eaten anything and this was about 1pm. As I contemplated going to eat, I learnt that the press conference was about to begin.

After the press conference, I quickly filed my story for the online platform, and later settled down to transcribe the governor’s recorded speech. By the time I was through, I ended up eating some snacks and taking a bottle of Coca Cola by 5pm, my first meal for the day. What a day it was!