C’River Assembly Loses Female Member

C’River Assembly Loses Female Member

By Bassey Inyang

The member representing Akpabuyo state constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, Mrs. Elizabeth Ironbar, is dead.

Sources from the late lawmaker’s family said she died last Tuesday night in her official residence at the Assembly Village, Ekorinim, Calabar Municipality, after battling with protracted illness from an undisclosed ailment.

Elected into the Assembly in 2015 and 2019, Ironbar was passionate about the welfare of the physically-challenged, hence, she sponsored the Cross River State Disability Commission Bill, as well as other bills.

The deceased was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) having refused to decamp with the state Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Reacting to the death of the lawmaker through a statement, Ayade expressed sadness, saying it’s an unfortunate incident which would create a vacuum in the Assembly.

In a statement signed by Ayade’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Christian Ita, the governor described the lawmaker’s death as a huge loss to the state.

He said: “As a government, we are saddened by the unfortunate departure of Hon. Elizabeth Edem Ironbar. She was a proud daughter of our dear state and a consummate lawmaker.

“Her demise is a huge loss to Cross River State and the House of Assembly. Hon. Ironbar’s robust contributions to legislation in our state will be sorely missed.”

While condoling with the deceased family and the state House of Assembly for the irreparable loss, he prayed for the peaceful repose of the soul of the deceased.

Findings revealed that she is one of the seven lawmakers in the state House of Assembly who opposed the defection of some members with the state governor to the All Progressives Congress (APC) when 18 other members defected to the APC with the governor.

Ironbar is the forth serving lawmaker in the state that has died in the last four years. Others are Mr. Stephen Ukpukpen, formerly representing Obudu state constituency; Egbong Simon Nkoro, Ikom state constituency; and Godwin Akwaji, Obudu state constituency.

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