By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
The member representing Uyo federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. Mike Enyong has said that his opting for a pararell governorship primaries in Akwa Ibom state which he emerged with over 2000 votes cast by 2744 statutory delegates was based on his deep understanding of the current Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Country, Nigeria.
Enyong, a two term member of the National Assembly in reaction to several attacks on him on social media, explained that his detractors should rather than attack, roll out drums in celebrating his patriotism and love for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as his action is the only reason the Party will be on the ballot papers.
Recall the Lawmaker, who was one of the governorship aspirants of the Party in the State had boycotted the recent PDP primary held at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo for a paralleled primary at another venue using statutory delegates, where he emerged winner and candidate of the Party.
According to him, “My adversaries looking for every opportunity to blackmail and tarnish my hard earned reputation are doing so because they know I have beaten them to their game. I am waiting for July 15th for the people to understand that I am the rightful candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom state. The Court had asked for status quo ante bellum in the case brought before it over the fraudulent selection of some people as Adhoc delegates but they went ahead and used them to pick their preferred aspirant but I understood the implication of being part of the sham and opted for the primaries with statutory delegates with the INEC as observers and officials from the national secretariat of our dear party”.
Enyong, who highlighted that his singular action is the only reason the ruling party in the state will be on the ballot papers for the 2023 governorship contest, urged those working against him to desist and rather pull their energies into his drive to ensure that Akwa Ibom state remains in the grip of PDP beyond 2023.
Speaking further the lawmaker said he took advantage of his deep understanding of the Electoral Act and should be celebrated stressing that the May 18th Abuja High Court order on adhoc delegates with status quo ante bellum automatically left the party with no adhoc delegates to conduct governorship primaries for the party.
“That order still subsists as we speak today, I am the rightful candidate of the party and the next governor of Akwa ibom state,” he maintained.
Speaking on his recent empowerment being distorted by detractors with people been paraded on social media as disappointed beneficiaries, the lawmaker explained that every genuine beneficiary captured in his list has been empowered with promised N1Million each.
“I am already looking forward to having another round of empowerment to spread more democratic dividends to greater number of our people, anybody claiming not to have received my empowerment after the last outing is either not part of the original list or failed to meet the guidelines streamlined for the beneficiaries to follow up and cash out the money. I am owing nobody”.
Enyong further described as laughable the trending video of a youth alleging that he got a paltry N1000 after voting as a delegate in the primaries that produced him as a candidate, saying that, he can’t even give beggars on the street N1000 talk less of a politician.
”I don’t know him, they are using him to blackmail me, he is not part of the exercise, go and ask all statutory delegates that participated to get clearer picture”.
