By Akanimo Felix
The Students’ Union Government (SUG) Senate of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) has impeached its President, Sen. Agiah Pius Abang, and Sargent-At-Arms, Sen. Ogar Edwin Elaunire, over constitutional breaches and misconduct.
The impeachment, which took place during the 11th Efficacious Senate plenary session on December 12th, 2024, was a result of extensive deliberations guided by the supreme principles enshrined in the 2014 Amended SUG Constitution
This was disclosed in an impeachment notice sent to Street News titled ” SUBJECT: IMPEACHMENT OF THE SENATE PRESIDENT, SEN. AGIAH PIUS ABANG,SARGENT-AT-ARM, SEN. OGAR EDWIN ELAUNIRE AND SUSPENSION OF DEPUTYSENATE PRESIDENT, SEN. ZIPPORAH VICTOR OF THE 11TH EFFICACIOUS SENATE”.
According to the notice, the impeached officials were found guilty of various offenses, including gross misconduct, abuse of power, failure of leadership, and financial mismanagement.
The Senate also suspended Deputy Senate President, Sen. Zipporah Victor, pending further review and demonstrated improvement in leadership virtues.
In a resolution, the Senate also restricted financial resources to the impeached officials and established an investigative committee to examine their actions and recommend disciplinary measures.
It reads ” The Senate President has been found guilty of violating the Constitution on several counts, including:
“Gross Misconduct: Breaching constitutional provisions under Chapter 4, Part III, Section 37(5) by failing to honor the request of one-third (1/3) of senators to convene an emergency session.
“Abuse of Power: Making unilateral decisions without constitutional backing, in violation of Chapter 6, Part II, Section 55, Subsection 1(a-f) on the case of the Director of Information (DOI), Students’ Union
Government, University of Calabar, which mandates the collective approval of the Senate for executive actions.
“Failure of Leadership: Refusing to uphold the Constitution as the sole custodian of legislative authority, thereby undermining the democratic principles and integrity of the Students’ Union Government.
” Financial Mismanagement and Lack of Accountability:The Senate President has never been accountable for how Senate resources have been spent and managed. He has been misusing and misappropriating the little resources realized by the Senate, contrary to the financial transparency required
of his office.”
The committee will be headed by the new Senate President, who will work closely with the Senate to ensure justice and accountability.
