PETITIONERS INDICTED AS PLOT TO SACK ELSIE ESARA BACKFIRES

The mission to relieve Mrs. Elsie Esara of her duties as the Transition Committee Chairman of Itu Local Government Area has suffered a major setback as the authors of the petition sent to the House of Assembly have been indicted.

Acting on a petition on fraud initially signed by three Supervisors in the Transition Committee, Mr. Ubong Edem, Supervisor for Works; Kufre Emah, Supervisor for Special Duties and the Supervisor for Health, Emem Uboh, the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has controversially implored Governor Udom Emmanuel to sack the council boss on grounds of alleged insubordination to the House  - a move widely believed to be instigated by Hon. Idongesit Ituen, who represents Itu in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.  

Appearing before the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Esara accused the petitioners of insincerity and produced relevant documents which indicted them.

She accused the Secretary of the council, Etido Udoibit, who later joined the petitioners, of extorting money from Itam market traders and revenue collectors for six months without remitting to the council. During cross examination, he confessed that he signed, collected and diverted funds meant for supervisors but diverted same for personal use.

Mrs. Esara also accused a former Head of Service of the council, Mr. Ekpema Enang, who later joined the operation-sack-Esara campaign, of selling the Itu council owned livestock market worth millions of Naira but only remitted 350,000 Naira as well as a bread factory at 100,000 Naira. Tendering exhibits before the committee, Esara said she had written to relevant authorities demanding probe into the dubious sale of the said properties.

The council boss further presented documents signed by the council secretary where varying sums of money were disbursed to members. Esara disclosed that the vague financial dealings have attracted many law suits for the council.

In his response, chairman of the committee, Hon. Idongesit Ntekpere assured that the committee will take appropriate action with the documents presented before it. 

Reacting to the issue, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Itu, Barr. Silas Uboh, accused the House of Assembly of bias.

“She (Esara) was invited to House to answer questions raised by a petition on fraud, but the House failed to proof any case of fraud against her. I thank for God for her. Urging the governor to sack her is just a baseless vituperation. The House only recommended a sack because she (Esara) took them to court. The House should not veer off the lane of discourse. We heard that the Chairman (Esara) had produced evidences against the petitioners. Let the House be fair to her by looking into the exhibits.  The call on the governor to sack her is premature. Hon. Idongesit Ituen was also mentioned on the petition, why is he not quizzed by the House? Is he a sacred cow? Let me put to them that they are not a court of law. Onofiok Luke as Lawyer should know these things.”

Meanwhile, checks by this reporter reveal that the Supervisor for Works in Itu council, Ubong Edem, escaped from the United Kingdom after being nabbed for drug peddling. He risks being repatriated to UK to face his jail sentence.  He confessed recently that he has been ‘anointed’ by Idongesit Ituen to succeed Mrs. Esara as Chairman.