It appears the crack among parliamentarians in the Gbaramatu Youth Council (GYC) Mobile Parliament is getting wider by the day as some representatives from Zone 3 comprising Kunukunuma, Kurutie, Pepeama and Ikantu communities, have faulted the action taken by some members of Parliament in relation to the suspension of its Speaker, Barr. Frank Ekpemupolo, on Sunday.

Recall that the GYC executive council led by Hon. Shadrack Ebikeme, whose tenure elapsed on May 29, 2023, were handed an extension of 18 months in a decision reached at its Congress that held on October 21, 2023, which necessitated the Speaker to call for an emergency sitting to deliberate on the tenure elongation.

Reacting to the suspension, some Parliament members in Zone 3, namely Toruosei Solomon from Kurutie, and Ebimiesinde Ozuke from Kunukunuma, in a released statement on Monday titled 'Re: GYC Parliament Suspension of Speaker on Misconduct: Zone 3 Parliament Members Resolution', faulted the suspension move by their co-parliamentarians with a claim that no sitting held wherein the decision to suspend the Speaker was reached. 

Part of the statement read: "Recall that a publication was made on the 29th of October, 2023, by some GYC Parliament members on the suspension of Speaker. Honestly we wouldn't have replied the said publication, but to keep the record straight.

"Majority of the signatories to the suspension of the Speaker are non-appearing members of the Parliament after its inauguration. No formal sitting took place to effect such suspension. It seems the signatories to the publication of suspending the Speaker are alien to the business of the Parliament without recourse to constitutional provisions of Section 5b (iv, v & vi). It is termed as error to attach emotions and personal issues to constitutional related matters," they stated.

While clearing the air on the lingering issue in the GYC leadership, they reminded Parliament of an earlier letter addressed to the executive on the issue to kick start a transition in line with the Constitution's requirement with a copy made to parliamentarians.

"Be reminded that Zone 3 of Gbaramatu Youth's Council have long wrote GYC's executives a protest letter dated 5th of August 2023 on the need to call for general meeting to kick start the long overdue transition process; even the Parliament was copied in that letter.

"So please tell us what is wrong in the Speaker's publication making reference to such protest by Zone 3 of Gbaramatu Youth's Council?" just as they maintained further that "The publication made by the Speaker actually remain the resolution reached on Wednesday, 25th of October 2023. The words of the two (Speaker and Parliament) in the publication need no further interpretation.

"Section 10 (1) of the same Constitution are in tandem with the publication of the Speaker whereas there is no conflicting issues between the parliamentarians and the GYC executive as a tenure elongation is a Constitutional matter," they argued.

On the issue of abuse, Parliamentarian Toruosei accused those behind the publication of slamming a suspension on the Speaker as the ones abusing their offices without calling for "a formal sitting of Parliament", just as the duo also noted further that Section 5 (iii)(c) empowers the Speaker to convene an emergency meeting whenever necessary, and as such their claims that their consent was not sought for “by the Speaker's initial publication of calling emergency sitting, in which they say they overlooked, is baseless and void.”

The representatives from Zone 3 therefore call on the general public to disregard the said publication of suspension on the ground of noncompliance with the Constitution otherwise stated on the Parliament sitting order, and that those behind the publication should swallow their pride and render an apology to the Speaker of the GYC Mobile Parliament for their action of "making such malicious publication against him," they further demanded.

Meanwhile, other stakeholders in the umbrella body of youths in Gbaramatu Kingdom have frowned on the media war going on which they admit is uncalled for while pleading on members of the youth body to remain calm as the issues are looked into to resolve them amicably.

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