Indications are rife that the five sacked legislators of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly may not obey the Uyo High Court order, barring the embattled “speaker” Nse Ntuen from parading himself as speaker of the house.
A High Court sitting in Uyo on Wednesday, November 28 granted an order of interim injunction restraining Ntuen from parading himself as the Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly pending the determination of motion on notice filed by Ekemini Udim Esq, Counsel to Speaker Onofiok Luke.
The ruling by Hon. Justice Ekaete Obot ordered that the injunction be served on Nse Ntuen in person and also be pasted on every conspicuous part of the Assembly complex to forestall breakdown of law by the sacked lawmakers.
However, Idongesit Ituen said the speaker Luke does not believe in and respect court order, querying “Why must we obey his court order?”
Ituen, representing Itu State Constituency, was booted out of office by Luke on the basis that he complied with the court order in declaring Ituen’s seat vacant because he defected from Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to All Progressives Congress, APC.
Though two days after, Ituen obtained a stay-of-execution order and appealed against the ruling of the Federal High Court, Uyo, Luke went ahead and declared his seat vacant on the premise that the court made a declarative judgment.
Speaking on Planet FM 101.1, Uyo, Ituen said “I got a stay-of-execution order two days my seat was declared vacant and served on the speaker. Again, I appealed against the ruling of the Federal High Court that the statud quo ante be maintained. Yet, Luke has not respected the order.
“Again, four of my colleagues got an order restraining the then “former speaker” Onofiok Luke from declaring their seats vacant.
“They have cases in the court and their matters have been resolved, yet the “former speaker” disobeyed the court and acted on his own. How can we obey his court order?
“As at now, we are still legitimate members of the state house of assembly because we have subsisting cases in the courts waiting for determination. On Tuesday, December 4, we will hold our plenary in the state house of assembly,” he stated.
Straightnews from the assembly that speaker Onofiok Luke together with 21 members in the house held a plenary on Thursday, November 29.
During the plenary, the legislators paid tributes to the late Dr. Clement Adolf Bassey who represented Ikono State Constituency during the fourth house assembly.
