NAB threatens sanction against A-Ibom chapter over planned election

The National Board of the Nigeria Association of the Blind has threatened to suspend the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the Association from the national should it go ahead with what it described as an illegal election today (Friday)

The state chapter had, in a meeting,  held at the conference hall of the Ministry of Women Affairs, set up an electoral committee to conduct the election disregarding the directives of NAB.

The association therefore urged Governor Umo Eno to wade into the constitutional crisis currently rocking the state chapter.

The National President of the association, Stanley Oyebuchi, in a letter addressed to Governor Eno and Thursday and signed by the South-South Zonal Coordinator, Nkemakonam Ofili, alleged that the  State Commissioner, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Nene Bassey, was causing constitutional crisis in the chapter by assisting the outgone state chairman, Ubong Akpan, to conduct an election against the constitution of the union.

The chairman claimed that though Akpan’s tenure as the state chairman expired in August 2023, he extended his tenure for eight more months, forcing the national board to dissolve the state executive as prescribed in the constitution.

He stated that a five-man committee was set up to pilot the affairs of the union for three months during which an election would be conducted.

He lamented that Akpan who refused to conduct the elections during his tenure on the premise that the ministry did not release funds for the election, hurriedly set up an electoral committee in an executive meeting held in the conference hall of the ministry, in disregard and abuse of the association constitution.

“We consider the action of Nene Basey, Dr Ini Adiakpan, and the immediate past state chairman as illegal and fragrant abuse of NAB’s constitution.

“Should the purported and illegal election be held on Friday (today) we will not only suspend the chapter from NAB national but also write to all our affiliate organizations as well as our international partners to suspend all inclusion projects, activities, and programs in the state because of government unnecessary interference in disability organization management,” parts of the letter read.

Though the commissioner of Women Affairs, Ini Adiakpan, could not be reached for comments at the time of filing this report, the Special Assistant to the governor on persons with disabilities, Nene Bassey, told our correspondent to contact a higher authority, adding that she has limitations to her duties

She said, “I think you should call the higher authority not me, I work under jurisdictions and I have limitations to my duties”