by crossriverwatch admin
A session of the National Association of Cross River State Students World Wide, NACRISS WW Senate which held in Calabar on Saturday ended in fisticuffs with the allegedly impeached Senate President and the acting Senate President initiating the free for all.
The session which was billed for the old Senate Chamber University of Calabar, UNICAL by 1pm did not start until 3:30 pm and was immediately greeted with banters over an item on the agenda for the meeting which is the ‘bye election’ for the office of the Senate President.
When the sitting eventually commenced, the impeached Senate President, Sen. Onun Francis Obono refused the Acting Senate President, Sen. Okanga Ogban from presiding over the session insisting that he is still the Senate President and until a committee is set up to investigate his alleged misconduct and concrete evidence produced then acting upon the committee’s report before he can be impeached.
At this point the whole chamber became chaotic with several members opposing him and some others supporting his claims. Both sides began exchanging harsh words.
After lot of arguments, the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Zone B Chairman, Comrade Amba Patrick intervened and cautioned the senators that the Senate President’s impeachment did not follow the right and credible process.
He urged them to lay down their swords and settle their dispute else the senate as the decision making body will stall the growth of the entire union and prevent it from discharging its duties. Comrade Amba left immediately after his admonition.
As the argument prolonged, the dethroned Senate President came in and tried to snatch the gavel away from the Acting Senate President and that resulted in fisticuffs between the duo and their loyalists.
The free for all lasted for several minutes before Sen. Francis, the impeached Senate President left believing that the sitting will no longer hold after it was disrupted by him and his loyalists but shortly after his departure, the session continued.
The session degenerated into another rowdy session when the presiding officer called for the reading, ratification and adoption of the agenda. The Acting Senate President tried to veto his way by not allowing the senators ratify the agenda but called for a motion of adoption which he got from his loyalists and eventually a seconder. At this point, the chamber was like a market place as some of the senators loyal to the dethroned president kept shouting ‘security information/order!!!!’
After lots of shouting and chaos, the UNICAL security team came to intervene and requested to see the permission/approval letter from the school management to hold their session in the venue.
The Acting Senate President, Sen. Ogban Okanga informed them that “The permit is with the World Wide President, Comrade Philomena Agweye Odah and the team leader asked that she should bring it before the sitting can continue.
After several calls to her line from the aggrieved and anxious senators, she responded but explained that there was no written approval but the Special Assistant on Students Affairs to the state governor, Mr. Hilary Bissong had discussed with the Chief Security Officer, CSO of the institution who permitted them to use the venue.
After a radio conversation with the CSO by the security team, the men were instructed to ask all in the chamber to leave because he did not permit them to use the place.
In the course of the confusion that ensued, one of the security men angrily slapped Sen. Effiong Dominic three consecutive times on the face and this heightened the chaotic atmosphere and attracted a crowd from within and outside the campus.
A source amongst the senators informed CrossRiverWatch that the reason the session was this rowdy was because in a peace meeting called a week earlier by the SA, Students Affair to Governor Imoke, the issues causing conflict were addressed and the conclusion was that the suspension of the World Wide President and the impeachment of the Senate President were lifted and the session was only supposed to announce the decision of that peace meeting and to reinstate Sen. Obono and forge ahead but the game plan changed.
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