By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
Coalition of Akwa Ibom gubernatorial aspirants have demanded the cancellation of the April 30 Ad-hoc congress and all primaries held by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State, citing massive irregularities and illegalities.
The coalition in a statement tagged, “Impunity Upon Impunity,” issued in Uyo on Sunday, stated that their position came after series of meetings and due consultations with their supporters in the state.
The gubernatorial aspirants who are Obong Ide Owodiong Idemeko, Mr. James Iniama, Mr. David Okpon and Hon. Idoreyin Umoh urged the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee of PDP to cancel the results of the congress and primaries held in the state pending the hearing and determination of the reliefs contained in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/606/22.
Alleging widespread Illegalities, they opined that the primaries conducted for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate positions using the three (3) Ad-Hoc Delegates per Ward in the state be immediately invalidated.
According to the group, “To say that the exercise of choosing a governorship candidate for the PDP in Akwa Ibom state was a charade is stating the obvious. The exercise was fraught with widespread irregularities, subterfuge, and intimidation. The impunity upon impunity was palpable and brazen. It was a mockery of civilized behaviour and opposite of what is right and decent”.
The press statement further read, “Sadly, the skewed political culture in the state, governed by patron-saints would rather go for the ephemeral. Instead of allowing a level playing field for all aspirants to convince the electoral college to choose their preferred aspirant based on a thorough and cursory analyses of the capacity, character and competence of individual aspirants, our know-all chieftains resorted to mundane considerations and subterfuge, and the result is the charade that came out of the Special State Congress held on May 25, 2022 for the purpose of nominating a Gubernatorial candidate for the Party. In fact, this charade and shambolic conduct has trailed all congresses leading up to the May 25, 2022 Special State Congress in Akwa Ibom State.
“We reiterate that the complaints contained in our petitions did not in any form mean that we had withdrawn from the contest; and this informed our presence at the Special State Congress to enable us to observe at close range the conduct of the primaries as well as offer us the locus standi to further challenge the validity of the processes in law court, if need be.
“One of such seeming irregularities, is that the so-called Ad-hoc basis delegates did not go through any proper identification and accreditation process before being allowed into the venue of the State Congress for Gubernatorial primaries.
“Secondly, the list of these Ad-hoc delegates were not published for all aspirants to be properly informed of who to consult and engage. Only the government sponsored aspirant had prior knowledge of who the Ad-hoc delegates were and only he was able to meet with them before the primaries.
“Finally, only the government sponsored aspirant, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno and his wife were listed as Ad-hoc delegates and had the opportunity to vote for themselves. Other aspirants were denied this privilege”. They observed.
The Aspirants lamented, “Unfortunately, our political culture, especially that of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State is not only skewed but strewn with all sorts of debris that precludes the emergence of any organised and cerebral candidacy, and where such seems possible, is immediately sacrificed on the altar of short-sighted considerations and predatory elite instincts.”
They highlighted that they ran an organized and issue-based campaign, anchored on their individual and collective visions to address the many knotty issues holding onto the jugular of the development in the state.
Stressing, “We did not only dissect the problems in our individual manifestoes and blueprints but proffered solutions; we knew the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of our problems and went further to provide the ‘how’ of handling these problems”.
The aspirants however, appealed to their supporters to remain calm and hopeful assuring them of arriving at a position that will be satisfactory to all. “We will continue to update you as we fight for the soul of our party, state, and country”. They group concluded.
