Cross River: Why we made U-turn on Ikpeme – Speaker Akon Ikpeme, before her confirmation, was rejected twice by the Cross River House of Assembly. 3 min read The Speaker, Cross River House of Assembly, Eteng Jonah-Williams, has explained why the lawmakers backtracked and confirmed Akon Ikpeme as substantive Chief Judge of the state, after rejecting her twice in 2020. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mrs Ikpeme, was confirmed on Thursday in unanimous votes by the lawmakers who hitherto were critical of her family ties with neighbouring Akwa Ibom State. Mrs Ikpeme is of Akwa Ibom parentage. She was born in Calabar, Cross River State, when Akwa Ibom was a part of Cross River. She is married to a man from Cross River, and has been working for decades as a judicial officer, including being a director of public prosecution, and a judge in Cross River.