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By: Essien Esema.  For his contributions to the socio-economic well being of the country, his exemplary performance in the public service in general and as the State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Obong Paul Ekpo, The state Chairman of PDP was on 28th September, 2015 honoured by his people of Uyo Senatorial District as the Trustee of the Uyo Senatorial District Leaders Forum (USDLF). This new accolade apparently derives from not only Obong Paul Ekpo’s role as a former commissioner and member of the state executive council under Chief Godswill Akpabio, CON; but more for his feat in enthroning the present PDP Government in Akwa Ibom State in spite of the wind of change that was blowing ferociously across the country.  Obong Paul Ekpo and Rt. Hon. Prince Peter Atakpa Speaking while conferring the honour on Obong Paul Ekpo on behalf of the people of Uyo Senatorial District, the Leader, Rt. Hon. Prince Peter Ekpe Atakpo, observed that though there are about t...

ESDYP/AKS/04/VOL.1/001 His Excellency Deacon Udom Emmanuel Governor of Akwa Ibom State Government House Uyo Your Excellency, RESOLUTION OF EKET SENATORIAL DISTRICT YOUTH PARLIAMENT ON YOUR 100 DAYS IN OFFICE AS GOVERNOR OF AKWA IBOM STATE At its inaugural sitting on Thursday 17th September, 2015, the Eket Senatorial District Youth Parliament, a youth voice in Eket Senatorial District deliberated extensively on your 100 days in office as the governor of Akwa Ibom State and noted that you have justify the mandate unanimously given to you by the good people of Akwa Ibom State. The House observed that: WHEREAS, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency, Deacon Udom Gabriel Emmanuel has exercised his duties creditably as Governor with great vision, dedication and competence and therefore deserves commendation; WHEREAS, the Governor has embarked on many life-touching projects and laudable programs in the state to include reviving of ailing industrie...

Press Statement DSS INVASION OF AKWA IBOM STATE GOVERNMENT HOUSE, AN AFRONT ON THE GOOD PEOPLE OF EKET SENATORIAL DISTRICT AND AKWA IBOM STATE  The leadership of Eket Senatorial District Youth Coalition (ESDYC), a network of young people in the twelve local government area of Eket Senatorial District has watched with total dismay the invasion of Akwa Ibom State Government House by men of the DSS. The organization condemn in totality such action in the seat of a democratically elected government without recourse to the rule of law and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We view such action as an abuse of power by men of the Directorate of State Security and a return to the dark days of military rule. We are disappointed that the DSS are reported to have acted on intelligence but one full week after the Gestapo action, the authority have failed to publish what was discovered during their operation but allow such an important issue to be sensationalize by a sec...

DSS Invasion of Akwa Ibom Govt House Unacceptable – Arewa Youths Youths under the aegis of Arewa Youth for Progress and Development (AYPAD) has condemned in totality the alleged invasion of the Akwa Ibom State Government House, Uyo, by the men of the Department of State Services (DSS). In a statement issued in Kaduna on Wednesday and signed by its National President, Danjuma Bello Sarki and National Secretary, Usman Abdulhamid, the group challenged the DSS to publish any evidence it may have to confirm the allegation, adding: ”Harassing and intimidating staff and visitors in the building for several hours without finding a single weapon or stacks of cash.” See below for full text of the statement: AKWA IBOM GOVERNMENT HOUSE RAID AND THE HEIGHT OF IMPUNITY PRESS STATEMENT BY THE AREWA YOUTH FOR PROGRESS AND DEVELOMENT (AYPAD) - The leadership of our organization after carefully following the recent news of the raid of the Akwa Ibom Government House, Uyo by the men of the Depa...

Press Statement MOSOP CONDEMNS UNWARRANTED PUBLIC PROTEST BY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE In response to the reportedly ill-informed and unwarranted demonstration by a handful of people at Akpajo junction on the East/West road, Eleme local government area, today (24/8/15), the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has warned the Ogoni people and the general public to ignore the group, which have been manipulated to attempt drawing Ogoni aback. It further warned that the good people of Ogoni would deal decisively with anybody wanting to truncate the efforts of our people especially relating to the smooth implementation of recommendations of the UNEP environmental assessment report on Ogoniland. Reports available to MOSOP have revealed that the demonstrators mischievously claimed that they were protesting exclusion from the UNEP report implementation process. The truth is that they thought that a non-existing UNEP report implementation money was shared ...

PRESS STATEMENT AKWA IBOM STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, UDO UDOMA AVENUE, PMB 1141 UYO, AKWA IBOM STATE September 6,2015 FELLOW NIGERIANS, THE POSITION OF AKWA IBOM STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ON THE BRAZEN INVASION OF THE HILLTOP MANSION, THE OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF AKWA IBOM STATE, HIS EXCELLENCY, DEACON UDOM EMMANUEL, ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2015, BY OPERATIVES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE SECURITY SERVICE (SSS) On Thursday, September 3, 2015, the very essence of our democracy and our freedom were shamelessly assaulted by terrorists masking as operatives of the department of State Security Service, otherwise known as SSS. In broad day light and in a fully democratic country where the rule of law is sacrosanct; a special squad of the SSS consisting of operatives from Abuja and a detachment from Uyo, in a commando style, launched a brazen attack on the official residence of our Executive Governor, Deac...

In a week of brazen display of corruption of power in Nigeria, one that also marks 100 days in office of Nigeria’s military dictator turned democratic ruler, Muhammadu Buhari ordered the invasion of Akwa Ibom’s State House by the country’s secret police. A team of forty-eight operatives of the Department of State Security Services (DSS, also called SSS), invaded Akwa Ibom State Government House on Thursday, September 3, 2014. Arriving in Hilux vans, the SSS operatives ransacking the premises without a search warrant. The SSS operatives disarmed the security personnel assigned to the Government House and made straight for the VIP Guest House where immediate past governor and now Senator Godswill Akpabio stayed on his last visit to Uyo, the state’s capital. The team claimed to be acting on intelligence. The operatives broke the doors, forcing their way in to the premises despite pleas for them to wait for Usman, the Julius Berger staff who holds the keys to the...

PRESS STATEMENT  - PORT HARCOURT,  September 2, 2015 RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT PROBE PANNEL: PROCEDURAL FAIRNESS ALARM The attention of the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL),  has been drawn to the alarms being consistently raised on the subject: Procedural Fairness of the Rivers state government  Judicial Probe Panel to investigate the past administration of Governor Chibuike Amaechi .  It is in this regard that we issue the present Advisory to the State government, to the effect that due consideration be given to such critical alarms, as it has everything to do with the legitimacy of  the Panel process and delivery of  its eventual outcome. IHRHL, from the outset maintains and  very strongly, that  accountability , both vertical and horizontal,  are critical ingredients of any quality democracy.  No well meaning rule of law based and democracy deepening organization,  should quarrel with any legitima...