THE SPEAKER OF THE 10TH CROSS RIVER HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY (CRHA): EQUITY DOES NOT EXIST WITHOUT REFERENCE TO FACTS
By
Barr. Hilary Nyiam Bisong
The word equity in legal parlance has two connotations, the technical and the simple connotations. The technical equity is the body of laws that were developed in the English Court of Chancery (the Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid harshness (or “inequity”) of the common law.
On the other hand, equity simpliciter (simple connotation) means fairness or what is right. It could also mean, giving the child who eats more, three pieces of yam, and the child who eats less, one piece of yam; or giving the man who scored less, his less, and the man who scored high, his high scores.
Equity therefore is not a warlord. It does not exist without reference to facts.
On the issue of political office distribution and who becomes the Speaker in the 10th Assembly in Cross River State, it is instructive to take you memory lane as previously set down by my brother and friend, Hon. George Ajangson.
📍When Hon. Gabriel Edi from Ogoja LGA was Speaker CRHA, Rt. Hon Peter Egbodo from same Ogoja LGA was in the Federal House of Representatives.
📍When Rt. Hon. Bassey Eko Ewa from Ekori in Yakurr 1 State Constituency was Speaker CRHA, Hon. Obeten Okorn from Ugep in same Yakurr 1 State Constituency was in the Federal House of Representatives.
📍When Sen. Rose Oko from Okpoma in Yala 1 State Constituency was in the Federal House of Representatives,
Rt. Hon Larry Odey from Ugaga in same Yala 1 State Constituency
was Speaker, CRHA.
📍When Rt. Hon. Frank Adah was Speaker, CRHA and later, Acting Governor, Mr. Fidelis Ugbo was SSG, CRS.
📍 The immediate past Deputy Speaker of CRHA is from Calabar South;
– The immediate past Chief Whip of the CRHA is also from Calabar South. It was possible because, former Deputy Speaker and Chief Whip in the 9th Assembly were third term and ranking members in the House;
– Rt. Hon Esien Ayi, the immediate past member, House of Reps. is also from the same Calabar South LGA.
– Sen. Geshom Bassey, the immediate past Sen. for Southern Senatorial District is also from Çalabar south LGA;
📍The present Administration has:
1.Governor Elect – Odukpani LGA.
2. House of Reps for Cal. Mun./Odukpani Fed. Constituency – Odukpani LGA.
3. Senator Elect for Southern Senatorial District – Odukpani LGA.
N/B (nota bene – note well):
📍Election of the Speaker is at the discretion of the members elect with prior inputs of the Party led by its leader – the Governor. It’s the turn of Boki and Boki II specifically whose member has shown so much legislative experience and capacity.
📍Boki has had the Senate for just one term (4 years) but Ikom had it for three terms (12 years) through, Sen. Ndoma Egba.
📍The immediate past House of Reps. member in the past eight (8) years was from Ikom.
📍This Speakership is not for Rt. Hon Hilary Bisong as a person but Boki LGA generally versus Ikom LGA where the Party failed the Presidential, Governorship, Senate, and House of Reps. elections in 2023. How does the Party and the leader, our sweet Prince Bassey Edet Otu intend to reward failure on the alter of “equity” of distribution of offices?
📍 HE, Prince Bassey Edet Otu is not known for double standard or promise and fail. Our appeal to him therefore is to give Boki LGA the position of Speaker in the 10th Assembly as she rightly deserves.
📍We also appeal to Boki and Ikom people that their personal ambitions and calculations towards 2031 should not truncate the promise of Speaker earlier made by the Party (APC) and their Excellencies to Boki II and the overwhelming support Boki generally gave his Excellency Prince Bassey Otu with the hope that he in turn will reward Boki with Speaker in the 10th Assembly as promised.
Flowing from the statistics above, it is not inequitable for Boki LGA to produce the Speaker of the 10th CRHA as promised, prior, during and after the 2023 elections. The arguments from some quarters in favour of Ikom LGA is an afterthought and a needless calculation towards 2031.
Granted that there are two ranking members elect (equal equities) from Central Senatorial District where Speaker of the House is zoned to (the Sun newspaper of 9th June, 2023), the maxims of equity, mutatis mutatis, aver that: “where the equities are equal the law prevails”, (the law as in the House Rules in this case). Conversely, “where the equities are equal, the first in time prevails”, (in this case, hierarchy in terms of tenure). In whatever consideration, Rt. Hon. Hilary Bisong fits squarely.
We hope this gets to their Excellencies, the Party and CRHA members elect well ahead of the House inauguration on the 13th June, 2023.
