Cross River: Disquiet as Unical Expels House Of Assembly Speaker

By Stanley Ekpenyong (South South Bureau Chief)

Uncertainty is currently pervading the Cross River State House of Assembly following the expulsion by the University of Calabar, Unical, of the House Speaker, Hon  Elvert Ayambem.

Untill his expulsion by the University for poor academic performance, Hon. Ayambem was a 200 level Economics student of the institution.

The Speaker, who last month defeated Hon. Hilary Bisong, son of the University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Florence Obi, to become Speaker, was among the 638 students the management of the institution withdrew their admission for failing to live up to academic expectations.

Following his expulsion, the Speaker, competent sources told the magazine on Wednesday, is under intense pressure from some political actors in the state to resign his office on moral grounds.

“Hon. Ayambem’s expulsion approximate to one thing: He has been found wanting in character and in learning”, says a  chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC from Boje in Boki, local government area, the home council of Hon. Bisong.

According to the party stalwart who asked that his identity be concealed “for political reasons”, “a sophisticated state like Cross River that boasts of avalanche of intellectuals cannot be saddled with a half baked Speaker. We will be reduced to a laughing stock. “How will it sound to the ears that our Speaker is an expelled student?

“His expulsion from Unical simply approximate to lack of character and the absence of the requisite experience, qualification and leadership qualities to lead the House”, he further said.

However, falling shot of accusing Unical management of vendetta against the Speaker for defeating “a person of interest”,  Hon. Ayambem’s supporters insist he remains the Speaker and eminently qualified to lead the Cross River state House of Assembly.

They said their principal who represents Ikom 2 state constituency, is popular and well respected among his colleagues.”They know Hon. Ayambem possesses invaluable leadership qualities hence they wasted no time in electing him to lead them; note that he proved book makers wrong by defeating an anointed candidate of highly placed political actors to emerge Speaker, so what is playing out now is a fight back but it’s an exercise in futility”, one of the Speaker’s supporters told The Source.

Meanwhile, the University’s management said students, across 15 faculties and departments, were expelled from the institution over poor Cumulative Grade Point Average.

In the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Resource Management, the Department of Agricultural Economics recorded 10 casualties.

In the Faculty of Allied Medical Science, 24 students were withdrawn from the Department of Medical Laboratory.

Others include Faculty of Art and Social Science Education, Department of Art Education – 29; Faculty of Art, Department of Christian Religious Studies – 86.

The Faculty of Basic Medical Science, the Department of Anatomy had 25 students on the list. In the Faculty of Biological Science, the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, 66 students dropped.

Others included Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Dentistry – eight; Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Department of Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering – 15.