The 10th session of the Cross River State House of Assembly, CRSHA has been officially proclaimed by the Executive Governor of the state, Bassey Edet Otu.
This auspicious occasion took place on Tuesday the 13th day of June 2023 in Calabar at the Assembly complex.
The twenty five members Assembly also elected its principal officers, namely the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Leader of the House, and Deputy Leader, in the persons of Elvert Ayambem of Ikom State Constituency 2, Slyvester Agabi of Obudu State constituency; Francis Asuquo of Odukpani State Constituency; Davies Etta of Abi State Constituency, and other leadership of the new Assembly on their emergence as leaders of the 10th Cross River State House of Assembly.
Reacting shortly after his unopposed nomination as Speaker, Ayambem who christened the 10th Assembly a People’s Assembly added that, ‘what ever vehicle or political persuasion that facilitated our coming here must by now lost it relevance to a better and greater cross River State’.
Meanwhile, the governor of Cross River State, Sen. (Prince) Bassey Otu, has congratulated the new Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, CRSHA, Hon. Elvert Ayambem and his deputy, Hon Sylvester Agabi, on their elections.
The governor, in a congratulatory message, said the peaceful and transparent manner of the elections of the principal officers of the state assembly is a testimony that democracy has taken firm roots in the country and state.
Otu charged the lawmakers to see their elections as a call to duty and they should use the opportunity to deepen democratic governance in the state, stressing that people have high hopes to see a government that works.
‘Your emergency and speaker and deputy speaker signifies a milestone in our democratic march since the return of democracy in 1999.
‘As a former lawmaker, I must remind you that you have a duty to make laws that can prosper our state, entrench democratic governance, and bring our peoples closer together. You have enormous authority in your hands and I enjoin you to exercise this power with discretion and for the overall benefit of our state,’ the governor was quoted as saying in a statement by his chief press secretary, Emmanuel Ogbeche.
He expressed the hope that the lawmakers will hit the ground running and carry out their oversight with utmost responsibility.
While congratulating the lawmakers, he promised that the executive will work closely with the legislature to ensure that only laws that impact meaningfully on the state are considered and passed.
‘As a government that is people-centred as evidenced in our People First Agenda, we will support the Assembly to pass only laws that will engender our progress, growth, development and cohesion as a people and to put our state as a destination for business and tourism. Also, I charge you to be creative in making laws that will shore up our revenue base,’ the governor said.
