How thugs had a field day at APC primaries The governorship primaries of the APC held at the Uyo Township Stadium on Thursday December 4, 2014 which culminated in the emergence of Obong Umana Okon Umana would have become bloody if the policemen and other security operatives at the arena did not exercise restraint. If they had attempted to resist the over 400 thugs who marched into the stadium with one of the governorship aspirants to cart away election materials, casualties and even deaths would not have been avoided. Okon-Umana The member representing Uyo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. Emmanuel Ekpenyong and former Chairman of the party in the state, Mr. David Ekanem condemned the aspirant’s act saying he lacked the leadership infrastructure to lead the party. The APC leadership and the electoral committee headed by Hon. Ahmed Sasiwo had resorted to Option A-4 for the nomination of the flag bearer at the end of which Obong Umana Umana emerged after defeating Group Captain Sam Ewang (retd.), Hon. Emmanuel Ekpenyong and Senator John James Akpanudoedeghe. Unfolding events in PDP Events in the PDP are not any better and even more pernicious, tribal sentiments are openly being expressed with the Ibibio, the majority tribe becoming disenchanted with the seemingly unpretentious unity of the Annang with their kin, Governor Godswill Akpabio, to their detriment. Even the Oron people are not comfortable with the governor as they alleged marginalization and biased development of the state, discriminatory appointments and employments of mostly the Annang by Akpabio such that all sectors of the state’s economy seem to be controlled by the Annang. These have fuelled the stout opposition Governor Akpabio is having to the emergence of Mr. Udom Emmanuel, his former secretary and cousin succeeding him through the PDP. Mr. Bassey Asuquo, a legal practitioner and political analyst opined that if Udom had come independently to seek the governorship of the state, he would perhaps, have been accepted than to have come through Governor Akpabio. According to Asuquo, the coming on board of Udom is tantamount to perpetuation of the Akpabio’s dynasty. Beginning of open confrontation in PDP To the bewilderment of these other aspirants, the list that was to be used for the primaries held at the Uyo International Stadium on Monday December 8, 2014, was completely different from the harmonized list. Obong Umana Umana, former Secretary to the Akwa-Ibom State Government (SSG) and one of the leading governorship aspirants who was formerly in the PDP had an early insight into the development and quickly left the party for the APC before the primaries. Protests by the remaining 22 governorship aspirants, excluding Udom Emmanuel, that the authentic delegates list to be used to determine their fates were also rebuffed by the PDP national officers who conducted the primary election leading to their walk-out in the contest. Udom Emmanuel An ensuing petition to the Chairman of the PDP Governorship Electoral Panel, Akwa-Ibom State, Prince Bola Oyebowale, which was copied to President Goodluck Jonathan, National Chairman of PDP and the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Akwa-Ibom State among others, where the aggrieved governorship aspirants alleged “fundamental irregularities affecting the substance of the gubernatorial primaries in Akwa-Ibom State” received no attention. “We note the multiplicity of the lists of elected delegates in Akwa- Ibom State freely published in various news media. Notably is the first list that emanated from Akwa-Ibom Consolidation Alliance, ACA and signed by Obong Paul Ekpo, the State Chairman of PDP claiming same to be fake. Ironically, the list that was earlier denied is the same list that is used for inviting delegates to this congress as announced on the Akwa-Ibom Broadcasting Corporation, AKBC. Accreditation of delegates “Despite the plethora of lists, there is no accreditation of delegates by your electoral panel to certify the individuals who are being trafficked in heavily guarded buses to the venue of the congress from the Government House, Uyo. “It should also be noted that all the purported delegates from the entire state were invited to the Government House where they were addressed, threatened, intimidated and induced with the sum of One Million Naira (N1,000,000.00) each to ensure compliance by voting for the governor’s preferred aspirant, Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel. ‘It is curious and unconscionable that in a clear violation of the guidelines of the party for primary elections and the Electoral Act, the contrived list of ad hoc delegates is populated by political appointees of government and civil servants. This impunity and disregard for the electoral process and the law cannot be ignored. We therefore call on you to resolve all these anomalies”, they stated. The aggrieved aspirants include, Arc. Nsima Ekere, a former deputy to Governor Akpabio, Senator Helen Esuene, Ambassador Asam Asam, Engineer Patrick Ekpotu, also a former deputy to Governor Akpabio, Chris Abasi-Eyo, Barrister Ekpenyong Ntekim, immediate past Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Effiong Abia, Professor Richard King, Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Domestic Affairs and Barr. Asuquo Asuquo Okpo. Others are Anietie Johnny Ufot, Engineer Larry Esin, Samuel Udonsak, Jerome Isanedighi, Dr. Peter Esu, Effiong Usin, David Okpon, Ita Udo, Engineer Ime Ekanem, Barr. Michael Sebastine Etuk, Hon. Okpulomp Ette, Benjamin Okoko and Ime Albert Akpan. It was gathered that since the Presidency and the National Secretariat of PDP appeared to be inconsistent in handling this petition, the group also known as G-22 decided to take their matter to the Abuja High Court presided by Justice Y. Halilu, which slammed an injunction on the PDP restraining it from forwarding the name of Udom Emmanuel as the candidate of the party to INEC. However, the state PDP and Udom Emmanuel on December 19 got the injunction vacated by the Abuja High Court and in effect, a clearance for Udom. In spite of the court clearance, some observers said the battle is not over yet as some Akwa-Ibom stakeholders remain determined to stop Udom at the polls. If all the 22 other aggrieved governorship aspirants and their supporters team up with Umana Umana or Bishop Akpan, the PDP may be in a cul-de-sac in Akwa- Ibom State. However, Pastor Anietie Ukpe, Chief Press Secretary/Special Adviser Media to Governor Akpabio, believes that the PDP would win any election in the state convincingly and with wide margin.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 11:13:40 +0000
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