Chief Henry Onwe, the chairman of the Cross River State Businessmen’s Forum, has criticized the House of Representatives’ resolution that calls for the suspension of Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, the chief medical director of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, calling it hurried, severe, and unreasonable.
Before adopting a move to suspend the CMD, Onwe encouraged the MPs to look into the claims made against him.
Onwe encouraged the lawmakers to be cautious in a statement released in Calabar, stating that the motion was approved without a thorough inquiry into claims that the CMD handled the posting of certain medical graduates for housemanship based on ethnic concerns.
Before approving the motion of urgent public concern made by Mr. Iduma Igariwey, the member representing the Afikpo North/Afikpo South Federal Constituency of Ebonyi State, he accused the House of relying on media reports and neglecting to conduct a comprehensive investigation.
Onwe claims that the ideals of natural justice, equality, and fair play—which he claimed should direct the legislature in matters of national importance—are undermined by acting on allegations without first hearing from all parties involved, especially the CMD.
He contended that the information at hand does not demonstrate that the impacted house officers had any direct communication with Prof. Ikpeme about their placement, pointing out that reports of a meeting with the CMD are being disputed and lack supporting documentation.
Onwe also questioned why, in violation of the federal character principle enshrined in Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution, the House did not investigate the process behind the postings, including who authorized them, the criteria used, and why a disproportionate number of doctors were reportedly posted to one federal institution from a single section of the country.
Additionally, he refuted allegations that the CMD’s purported activities contributed to brain drain, contending that it is unjust to single out Prof. Ikpeme as the cause of shortages in the health sector when many doctors who complete housemanship in Nigeria continue to migrate abroad.
The business leader pointed out that the doctors in question had already resumed training at UCTH prior to the call for suspension, and that the House allegedly neglected to consult pertinent professional associations like the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in Calabar.
Citing UCTH’s history of inclusive appointments across ethnic lines, like as the recent appointment of an Igbo woman as Head of Nursing Services in November 2025 under Prof. Ikpeme’s direction, Onwe dismissed claims of racial prejudice as baseless.
He urged the House of Representatives to reconsider the motion, carry out a thorough investigation, and allow due process to prevail. He also urged the Federal Government to halt any action against the CMD until a proper investigation was completed. He called on Cross River State lawmakers to step in and stop what he described as an injustice.
