10th C'River Assembly: Hilary Bisong, Elvert Ayambem Stake Speakership Claims

By Ogbu Kosy 

As Cross Rivererians earnestly expect the inauguration of the 10th State Legislative Assembly for the onerous responsibility of lawmaking, oversight functions, as well as checks and balances in government, citizens are also eagerly anticipating, with bathed breathe, to see who emerges leader of this critical arm of government.

If information and permutations in the State are anything to go by, Rt. Hon. Hilary Bisong and Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem appear to be frontline contenders for the coveted Assembly Speaker position, since the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the ruling political party in the State had zoned the position to the central senatorial district of the State. 

With other political indices coming to play, it is learned that the position was also micro-zoned to Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency in the central, pitting Rt. Honourables Ayambem and Bisong against each for the number one Assembly position. Who eventually emerges Speaker is left to how the eventual winner plays his cards and the comprehension of Cross Rivererians on June 13, 2023.

In their pursuit of the Speakership position, both Bisong and Ayambem have spoken to the media in a bid to woo stakeholders to favour their respective ambitions.

Rt. Hon. Hilary Bisong, representing Boki II State Constituency, in a recent interview, had vehemently dismissed his contender as "not qualified to vie for the Speakership position."

In his words, he said: "My colleague, Hon. Elvert Ayambem is not qualified to contest for Speakership of the House of Assembly. This is because he has not yet taken oath of office to become Right Honourable.

On competence and capacity to lead the Assembly, Bisong remarked: "My opponent, who I don't like to mention, has done just one bill in his four years as a lawmaker. We did the grazing bill and gave him to handle because, at the time, Ikom had issues with cattle herders. After that, he didn't do any other. Go to the clerk of the House of Assembly, let him present our scorecard. The records speak for themselves. I have lost count of the number of bills that I have done. My contender has not attended a single budget session. He does not know how budgets are done. For records purposes, I did the Corona virus bill. It was a novelty. It was a product of my ingenuity. The Cross River State public complaint and anti-corruption bill, aimed at insulating the state's finances from being taken by the federal government, is also my brainchild. For instance, if a commissioner commits a financial crime, the state has the power to deal with such situations. Corruption and other crimes are not the exclusive right of the federal government to handle alone. There is also the Safety Commission bill, Corporate Social Responsibility bill; I did them. The Corporate Social Responsibility bill was done to to determine and regulate what private companies in the State should do as their own quota to the development of the State. Companies' memoranda of understanding with host communities ought to be followed up with the view to know what such a company is projecting as its community development project. I also contributed heavily to the health insurance bill, with Dr. Ekpo Ekpo as chairman. I nicknamed the bill 'Ayadecare,' which drew the governor's interest in it. The primary health care agency into one roof, I sponsored it with the support of Dr. Ekpo Ekpo. I did the amendment of the Tourism Bureau bill. I can go on and on. I do landmark bills. Go to the Assembly, you will have a dossier of my contributions to legislations that have led to the development of the State. 

"During my first term, I won a national honours award as a first term lawmaker with the highest number of bills. I have been here, went back to school to improve my stock. Even while in school, I'm still the lawmaker with the highest number of bills. I have a Bsc in Geology, Msc in Applied Geophysics, Msc in Elections and Party Politics, and would soon be rounding up with a PhD in Elections and Party Politics. I have certification in leadership from international universities. I am a United Nations peace ambassador. I have an avalanche of awards in my kitty. So there is no comparison between me and other competitors. We cannot reduce the House of Assembly as a critical arm of government to mere local intelligence.

"When talking about who becomes speaker, we should look at intelligence and capacity to do the job. I was running for federal house, the state called me and said there will be a dearth of institutional memory in the Assembly because most ranking members were going to the national assembly. I was asked to return so the institutional memory of the House could be preserved. That was how I was returned.

"When asked what Cross Rivererians should expect from him, if you eventually emerge speaker, he quipped that, "If I emerged speaker, Cross Rivererians should expect a solution-providing House of Assembly. For it is the job of the House of Assembly to provide solutions to complex governance issues. We are going to warehouse the Government's policies and provide a legislative framework for such policies to operate. We will create boundaries of operations for Goverment policies. We would provide solutions to social issues. For instance, the state cannot continue to be treating waste management as a social issue. People should pay for the proper disposal of their waste. So we are going to encourage Goverment to hold an environmental summit, engage citizens and stakeholders so that an effective waste management policy that meets the need of time can be provided. That is our duty. Before now, Government was handling all that. But with dwindling resources, we would advocate for the division of the State into three and given to contractors to manage waste, while Government manages the waste dump sites. We need to return to that. There are certain laws that cannot meet the present age of governance. For example, the traditional rulers edict should be repealed. It is ladened with issues. It cannot meet the present realities. And the reason why there are rampant breakdown of law and order is because the traditional institution cannot be held accountable to certain things. Such should be repealed and, in collaboration with the traditional institution, reenacted a better one. Once the traditional institutions are effective, with good local governance, most of these communal crises would be abated.

"You see the people of Bakassi, they have suffered a lot from the ceding of Bakassi peninsula and lack of respect for the Green tree agreement. We should provide mechanisms that would bring succour to the people. We are going to create a commission that would cater to the welfare of the displaced people of Bakassi, through the 500; million monthly subvention to Bakassi. If we judiciously utilise the money,bit would go a long way to ameliorating the plight of the displaced people of Bakassi.

"We would come out with workable and realistic budgets. The Otu-led administration has dwelled more on instruments for good governance. Instruments that will bring multinational organisations and donor agencies back to Cross River. We need to operate a due process regime that meets the need of open governance. We would amend the counterpart fund law to attract more donor projects to the state. Our budgets must meet international best practice, with positive performance, which would bring grants to the State. We will take our budgets to African Development Bank, ECOWAS Bank for support.

"We will set the tone for socio-economic policies and governance of the State. We will expand stakeholder engagements, carry out citizens-centred legislations that would affect the citizenry positively. We will return back media briefings to abreast the public of the goings on at the Assembly. Our sessions will be aired live through our social media platforms. We are going to return verbatim reports of everything a member says on the floor."

On the issue of Boki presently holding several political positions, the astute lawmaker defended Boki's position with a journey through history, pointing out events where a particular local government area had occupied more than one position at the both State and national levels.

"I will first give you a rundown of offices held since 1999. What the state shares is governor, deputy governor and speaker among the three senatorial districts of the State. The state does not share federal constituencies. Federal constituency affairs are inherent in its internal zoning arrangements. For example, as we speak, Ikom is not empty. The occupy the federal house position from 2015 to date. It was only natural that the position has to leave Ikom to Boki. As we speak, from 2015, Ikom had federal house and deputy leader positions. Boki had none. Chris Agibe was in the HoR, and late Simon Nkoro deputy leader. In 2019, Agibe was still in the federal house, while Fred Osim was deputy leader; Boki had nothing. Now, when we moved to APC and Fred Osim did not move with us, that was when our party nominated me to be deputy leader.

"If it was by zoning, why did Ikom take both positions then? Had Fred Osim followed us to APC, he would have continued as deputy leader. My becoming deputy leader was because Fred did not move with us to APC. Now when we came back in 2019, I was supposed to be Speaker. But the Governor asked me to leave it. I told them that deputy leader should go to Boki, let Ikom keep the federal house position, but Ikom took both positions. Today, Ikom stakeholders are saying they don't want to be empty. Is Ikom empty right now? He who goes to equity, must go with clean hands. 

"The federal house has now moved to Boki by natural causes. That has nothing to do with the zoning arrangements for the state constituency. Now, the zoning of the speaker position was given to Ikom/Boki in the central district. If Abi, Yakurr, Obubra, Etung, had anyone doing third term like me, who is the most ranking member, we would have contested the Speakership. But it's because they have ranking members. Only Abi has, and he is being shortchanged because not long ago, Abi produced speaker in John Gaul Lebo. Secondly, in those positions, we have Senate. As long as the Senate position is held by someone from the old Ikom, which has been so since 1999, the speaker position, if zoned to the central would be occupied by someone from the old Obubra. That is why Eteng Jonah, John Gaul Lebo, Bassey Ewah were all Speakers. Now Senate has moved to old Obubra, the Speakership position has also moved to the old Ikom, comprising of Boki, Ikom and Etung. If Etung state constituency had a ranking member, he would have been qualified to contest Speakership. Let me make it categorically clear that the Speakership position is not just zoned to Ikom/Boki. It is zoned to the central district. And it is purely a state, and not a federal constituency affair. 

"To make it clearer, let me take you on a journey: in Bekwara, Kanu Agabi was senator, Dr. Mike Ogar (late) was Speaker of the House of Assembly. In Obanliku, Felix Ugbo was Secretary to the State Government, Frank Adah was speaker. There was also a time where the Governor, Minister and Vice Chancellor were all from Obudu. In Ogoja, Patrick Egbodor was a federal house member, Gabe Eddy was speaker from same Ogoja. In Yala, John Odey was Minister, Rose Oko, federal house member, Larry Odey, speaker in one LGA. In Yakurr, Obeten Okorn was in the federal house, Bassey Eko Ewah was Speaker. In Akamkpa, Ntufam John Achort Okon was state chairman of party, Daniel Asuquo was House of Representatives member and Itaya Nyong was deputy speaker.

"In Odukpani, Ekpo Okon was state chairman of party, Efiok Cobham, deputy governor and Prince Bassey Otu, federal house member, and later Senator. In Akpabuyo, Donald Duke was governor, Dominic Aqua Edem deputy speaker. As I speak, in Calabar South, Gershom Bassey was senator, Essien Ayi federal house member, Joseph Bassey deputy speaker and Okon Ephraim chief whip. In 2015, Joseph Bassey and Okon Ephraim were already a second term member of the House of Assembly. They were qualified for leadership positions. In 2019, during the two members'third term, positions zoned to the entire southern district were deputy speaker and chief whip. Then Biase had a second term member in Ogbor Ogbor. Mathew Olory and Charles Ekpe also second term members in Akamkpa. In Calabar Municipality, Efa Esua was second term, while late Lady Elizabeth Ironbar was also a second timer from Akpabuyo. In Bakassi, Ekpo Ekpo Bassey was second term member. All these second term members could not get leadership positions in 2019, because Calabar South had two members doing third term. That was why they took both the deputy speaker and chief whip positions in same Calabar South.

Both positions went to one LGA because they were the most ranking members. As turbulent as the other members were, they all succumbed to the seniority equation and allowed the more ranking members take the two positions.

"Today, the governor, southern senator and federal house member for Calabar Municipal/Odukpani are all from Odukpani. So it is wrong for people to limit a state affair to local Intelligence. A lot of things the present administration need to do would be by legislations. We need a robust and vibrant legislature to reengineer most of the economic decisions he would be taking at the long run to put the state in the right course.

On his part, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, member representing Ikom II State Constituency in the State House of Assembly, while briefing newsmen recently in Calabar, promised an all-inclusive leadership of the legislature if he is eventually prevails in his bid to be speaker of the 10th Assembly.

In his assurances, Rt. Hon. Ayambem said he envisages an "egalitarian legislature, under his watch, where all lawmakers would have a stake in the scheme of things of the Assembly."

When asked about the tremendous good will he enjoys from political stakeholders, and colleagues in the assembly which has placed him as favourite for the speakership position, the lawmaker responded: "I have always been open-minded and opened to learning. I never allow circumstances to becloud my sense of judgment. I have also contributed meaningfully to legislations with direct bearings to the yearnings and aspirations of the citizens. My humble min and receptive disposition have endeared me to all my colleagues, both ranking and first-time members, leaders of my party, as well as other political stakeholders in the State. I have extensively interfaced with my colleagues and stakeholders, sold my speakership blueprints to them, and sought their support, which a vast majority of them have avowedly given me."

"God-willing, when I become speaker, allotment of Committees' leadership would be devoid of party inclinations. Finding common grounds for the best and collective interest of the State will be the hallmark of the legislature under my watch," the Ikom II representative reiterated.

On the ranking member question, Ayambem said "the whole arguments about tenures are misconstrued," pointing out that "more than a term in the Assembly qualifies one a ranking member and fit for leadership of the House."

He cited instances where Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, now Deputy Governor, became Leader of the House ahead of Rt. Hon. Okon Ephraim, who was his senior in terms of tenure in office. He also stated that if Senator Goodwill Akpabio eventually becomes Senate President, he will be leading senators who are also older than him in terms of tenure in office. He said the above references put to bed the unsubstantial argument on tenure seniority and ranking members of the Assembly.

He argued that while the House of Assembly speaker position has been zoned to the central district of the State, it is politically correct for only Etung and Ikom to jostle for the position. He noted that other constituencies in the central all hold key positions in the state or federal government. He, however, narrated further that with elected lawmakers from the aforementioned areas, except Ikom II, in the 10th Assembly, all first timers, thereby making him the best man for the job.

On the contention for the speaker position by his colleague representing Boki II (Hilary Bisong), Ayambem quipped that Boki was already loaded with people in political and other leadership positions in the State and country, insisting that Bisong's quest for speakership is tantamount to "asking for too much."

He promised to extend an olive branch to his contender(s) when he finally becomes speaker, noting that they are all "critical to the legislative advancement of the House, nay Cross River State."

The Ikom-born politician ended his session with the assurance that the legislature under him will foster effective cooperation with the incoming Senator Bassey Otu-led administration and the judiciary for the State to move to greater heights.