Ex-Deputy Gov Wants Office Scrapped

A former Deputy Governor of Akwa
Ibom, Mr Chris Ekpenyong, has called on the National Assembly to scrap the
office of deputy governor.

Ekpenyong,
who made the call in an interview with newsmen in Uyo said that scrapping the
office would eliminate the acrimony and bitterness between governors and their
deputies.

Ekpenyong,
who served as deputy governor during the administration of Obong Victor Attah,
said that “governors are power-drunk and do not want to share their office with
their deputies”.

He
said that those who drafted the 1999 Constitution never thought there would be
a problem between governors and their deputies, noting that the aim of the
makers of the constitution was that governors and their deputies would share
duties without problem.

“That
is why the constitution says you cannot be
an elected governor or president, unless you have somebody as an
appendage as deputy or vice as the case may be,” he said.

The
former deputy governor said that a situation where a deputy governor must wait
for the governor to assign responsibilities to his office was the major cause
of the problem between the two offices.

He
suggested that responsibilities should be spelt out for the office of the
governor and his deputy in the constitution review process, or that the office
should be scrapped forthwith.

“My
suggestion is that the position of the deputy should be scrapped. I am going to
write my position on this issue to the National Assembly for consideration in
the ongoing constitutional amendment,” he said.

On
the upcoming 2015 elections, Ekpenyong urged the people of Akwa Ibom to lay
less emphasis on 2015, adding that discussing 2015 in 2012 was a distraction to
those occupying elective positions.

He
called on Nigerians to support those in power for effective and quality
leadership.

“When
the whistle is blown, the political gladiators will consider justice and fair
play in deciding where key positions should go to,” he stressed.