By Our Correspondent
Three members of the Abi Local Government Legislative Council have been suspended for 60 days.
In a resolution during plenary Tuesday February 17, 2015, the Legislative House suspended the trio for 2 months citing anti-party activities as reason for the suspension.
The affected legislators include Hon. Vincent Echeng Bassey representing Ekureku ward 1, Hon Victoria Ekama Eborty representing Ekureku ward 2 as well as Hon Rebecca Bassey Echeng who represents Imabana ward 2 in the Abi Legislative House.
The suspension which took immediate effect from Tuesday February 17, 2015 will end Friday April 17, 2015.
According to the Leader of House, Hon. Joshua Akali Igboke, the suspension would not only serve as a punitive measure against the legislators but would also serve as deterrent to others.
He maintained that anti-party was very inimical to the House which has all ten councilors from the Peoples’ Democratic Party, adding that even the Party abhors such act.
But in a reaction to CrossRiverWatch, Hon. Victoria Ekama Eborty told CrossRiverWatch that they were not aware of any suspension stressing that it was just a rumor. She said she is not perturbed by what happened because she has not committed any offence to warrant her suspension.
She disclosed that the PDP in Abi now has two factions bearing New and Old PDP while alleging that the three of them are accused of being members of the old PDP.
“We were all at the sitting yesterday and nobody told us of any suspension. It was after the sitting that I rushed to Calabar to fix a little problem I have in my Ward. I am just hearing it as a rumor. Whatever allegations they are laying against us are false. I am a member of PDP. I am a PDP councilor who was elected on PDP ticket.
“But I noticed that they have been problem since December when gifts and materials for Christmas were brought to my Ward and I was not informed. The materials were taken to another place other than the usual place. When I went there to inquire to know why, I was told that the order was from above, from Hon. Eko Atu that the things should be taken elsewhere. I could not do anything but I began to sense that there is problem.
“Since then, the three of us have been kept in the dark about activities of the party in the local government. Even the ongoing PDP campaign activities are kept away from the three of us. Even when the campaign committee in the local government was inaugurated, we were not informed. We only heard from other people and by the time we got to the venue, they had dismissed. I asked the Council Leader and he told me that the activities are being coordinated through the ward coordinators and so on and so forth.
“I hear they say we are members of Old PDP and others are now members of New PDP but to the best of my knowledge, I am a bonafide member of my party the PDP and have participated in all activities were I am duly informed unless those that the party leadership has been deliberately keeping away from us.”
The three suspended legislators are accused of supporting Imoke’s immediate past Chief of Staff, Hon. Alex Egbuna, who is contesting the House of Representatives seat for Abi/Yakurr Constituency on the platform of Labour Party against Imoke’s annointed candidate, Hon. Bassey Ewah of the PDP.
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