Akwa Ibom Assembly confirms 18 nominees as commissioners

The Akwa Ibom House of Assembly on Wednesday confirmed 18 Commissioner Nominees and two Special Advisers as requested by Governor Udom Emmanuel.
The confirmation of the nominees followed their screening by the Committee of the Whole.
The House Leader, Udo Akpan, moved a motion for their confirmation and Aniekan Bassey seconded the motion.
The new commissioners are Paul Udofia, Ime Ekpo, Dr. Nse Essien, Prof. Eno Ikpe, Idoroenyin Udo and Nsikan Nkan.
The others are Uduak Udoinyang, Charles Udo, Orman Esin, Dr. Iniobong Essien, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, Uwemidimo Nwoko and Victor Antai.
The rest are Monday Uko, Dr. Glory Edet, Udoh Ekpenyong, Akan Okon as well as Ephraim Inyang.
The new Special Advisers are Ekong Sampson and Ekemini Umoh.

Reps move to bar acting president, governor from second term

The House of Representatives yesterday moved to bar any person who has acted as president or governor for a period of two years from seeking election to serve beyond one term of four years in office.
The bill, sponsored by the Deputy Speaker Sulaimon Lasun Yussuff specifically noted: “No person who has held office of president or governor of a state or acting as president or governor of a state for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president or governor, shall be elected to the office of president or governor of a state more than once.”
Lasun, who is also the chairman of the ad hoc committee on constitution review, explained that the aim of the bill is to give constitutional protection to the two-term tradition. He added that by virtue of the provisions of sections 137(1)(b) and 182(1)(b) of the constitution, the president and governor of a state shall serve in those capacities for a maximum period of eight years.
He further argued that the constitution equally envisaged circumstances where a person can be chosen to act as president or governor, including when the president or a governor resigns, dies or is impeached.
This amendment, he said, was inspired by the 22nd amendment to the constitution of the United States which provides: “No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice and no person who has