By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
One of the failed gubernatorial aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State, Prof. Chris Ekong has said that his decision to accept the defeat in the just concluded party primary in the state is his personal sacrifice to enable the party to position self to win the 2023 general elections.
Ekong, who stated this in a press briefing on Tuesday in Uyo the state capital, appealed to other contenders to do same and support the winner, Obong Akan Udofia who had been declared the party’s 2023 gubernatorial flag-bearer to win in the task ahead.
He said that he participated in the governorship exercise with ultimate interest to emerge as the most preferred and acceptable choice of the party and not to be easily compromised, or at any rate, allow himself or the fate of other other aspirants in that race to be defrauded or shortchanged.
But having not won majority of votes cast by delegates at the exercise which he described as most transparent and fair, he had no other choice than to accept the outcome of the exercise, congratulate the winner and support him in the spirit of sportsmanship and for the interest of the party’s supremacy.
Prof Ekong, who also noted that the APC in the state has suffered several bouts of self inflicted loses at the polls since 2015 due to people who refused to accept defeat at the party primaries, however said that such should not be allowed to play itself again.
“It should therefore be seen as certainly unarguable, that I did not participate in the race to be easily compromised, or at any rate, allow myself or the fate of my other compatriots in that race, who in the instance represented some of the finest crop of Akwa Ibom great sons, to either be defrauded or shortchanged in a race to offer the best leadership and governance solutions to our beloved state.
“However, with the close of that august and benchmark event which saw one of the most accomplished sons of our great state emerge and become declared the democratically preferred choice of our esteemed delegates at the polls, I had acted in the true spirit of sportsmanship, appreciated and as well, accepted the position and decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as being sacrosanct and supreme in the concluded exercise.
“Obong Akan Udofia had been declared winner of the APC governorship primaries in Akwa Ibom State. I had since accepted the result as declared by the Party. I want to use this opportunity to call on all other aspirants in the race to sheathe their swords and open the doors for reconciliation and healing to support and work with the flag bearer, Obong Akan Udofia to win the governorship elections come 2023.
“The clearest opportunity open to APC to win the elections in AKS is now. So every obstacle on our road and quest to realize this must be avoided. We must accept the choice of the people and that of the party as a sacrosanct mandate that should be allowed to rule the day.
“The APC Akwa Ibom State since 2015 has suffered several bouts of self inflicted loses at the polls. Many of the loses had derived from inflexibility of persons who had contested for the rights to the gubernatorial slot of the party with venom that makes them decide that they cannot at any point accept the choice of the party men and women except, when such decisions were taken exclusively in their particular favour.
Prof Ekong who titled his text at the briefing, “We must not allow individual goals, greed, hatred, self-centeredness and unforgiving spirit to kill our party” described those protesting the outcome of that governorship primary in the state as serial political
entrepreneurs who don’t wish for the party in the state.
According to him, the predictive strategy is therefore designed with a view to discrediting the sincerity APC to offering Akwa Ibom responsive leadership more adapted to steering the state and her people on a new course.
“I can boldly therefore reveal that the action of some of these respected and not too respected compatriots, in the APC is nothing new. They are deliberately setting it on course, to however, grapple with the destiny of the party; and themselves, remaining some serial political entrepreneurs whose traditional stock-in-trade is to trade the fortunes of the party for their often see through personal and vaulted gains.”
Recall that the APC gubernatorial primary took place on Thursday at the party’s secretariat in Uyo with over eight aspirants contesting was greeted with protests of alleged electoral fraud and irregularities by those who felt aggrieved in the exercise.
The electoral panel which had Mr. Omoba Tunde Ajibulu as chairman, with Ms Evelyn Okere as Secretary who conducted the primary declared Obong Akan Udofia as the winner having scored the highest votes cast.
