By Itam Offor
Governor Bassey Otu has withdrawn the appointment of Mr Patrick Edi, initially appointed clerk of the Cross River State House of Assembly, CRSHA and has appointed Barrister Catherine Ubi as substantive clerk.
A letter signed by the secretary of the state government, Prof Anthony Owan Enoh and addressed to the Speaker of the House which was read during plenary, states that; “The reversal of appointment is based on the fact that the critical criterion of seniority was not highlighted or even made reference to in the recommendation made to His Excellency, the Governor.”
The letter further indicates that “While Mr Patrick Edi was employed before Mrs Catherine Ubi, her becoming a director before the other gives her the advantage of seniority”.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the Assembly Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem emphasised the 10th Assembly’s commitment to the promotion of deserving staff. He disclosed his intentions to recommend Mr Patrick Edi to the Governor to be appointed as the Assembly’s Deputy Clerk while charging all Assembly staff to work hard in unity and uphold the tenets of the legislature.
In a related development, the State Governor, Senator Prince Bassey Otu has suspended the State Assembly Service Commission with immediate effect.
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A letter signed by the secretary to the state government, Prof. A. Owan Enoh and read during plenary says the suspension is; “Sequel to the failure of the Commission to disclose the proper seniority of qualified staff for the position of the Clerk”.
The letter added; “The unfortunate outcome was His Excellency, the governor’s misguided selection of Mr Patrick Edi over Mrs Catherine Ubi and the negative effects this has caused.”
The Lawmakers deliberated on the matter and observed with dismay that, the Assembly Service Commission had deliberately attempted to misguide the Governor over the appointment of the Clerk, despite the fact that the House had earlier made a fair recommendation to the Governor.
The matter was subsequently referred to the Committee on Judiciary, Public Service Matters, Public Petitions and Conflict Resolution for proper investigation and to report back in a week’s time.
