another leadership crisis following the recent suspension of 41 officers and party elders.
The officers affected by the recent suspension include the chapter chairmen of Essien
Udim, Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara, Onna, Uyo, Etim Ekpo, Ibiono Ibom, Itu, and Ini local
councils, deputy chapter chairmen of Nsit Ibom, and Abak local councils, and the
Organising Secretary.
Others are 11 youth leaders of Ini, Nsit Ibom, Ibiono Ibom, Uyo, Obot Akara, Esit Eket,
Eastern Obolo, Essien Udim, Uruan, and Etinan local council, two chapter treasurers, two
chapter Secretary, State Ex-Officio Nsit Ibom, Engineer Uduak Okpo Senatorial aspirant
Ikot Ekpene, and Mr. Idara Udo candidate Ikot Abasi House of Representatives as well
as 10 members of the party.
Governorship contest
Before now, the first eruption was stirred by the suspension in September, 2014 of 22
local government area chapter chairmen of the party following their agitation that the
party be opened to outsiders to compete in the 2015 elections.
The party indeed was at a low until late in 2014 when Umana Okon Umana, the former
Secretary to the State Government entered the party from the PDP.
Mr. Umana contested and won the governorship ticket of the party in a contest that
also had a former Military administrator Capt Sam Ewang, and Senator John
Akapnudoedeghe.
The suspension of the nine local government chapter chairmen and youth leaders who
were accused of working for Akpanudodehe against the interest of the party did not
come as a surprise given the roles they allegedly played before, during and after the
last elections in the state.
They were alleged to have been lukewarm towards the party’s governorship campaign
following Umana’s emergence as candidate.
A number of actions and assertions by sympathisers of Akpanudoedehe were seen as
betraying the APC’s goal of winning the last elections.
The recent appointment of Engineer Ita Awak, the former publicist to Umana as the
Publicity Secretary of the APC has also stoked tension in the state chapter of the party.
While some of them view the appointment as a welcome development others, however,
are questioning the grounds on which the validly elected Publicity Secretary Mr. Samuel
Udobong was suspended, pointing out that suspension or expulsion of all State officers
from the party must be ratified by the Leadership of the party in accordance with the
guidelines and provisions of the constitution of the party.
But reliable sources within the party told Vanguard that the party spokesman had been
locked in a face-off with the State Chairman Dr. Amadu Attai over the administration of
the party.
Atai in a telephone interview, however, explained that Udobong was suspended for
making statements in the media that were capable of damaging the image of the party
in the state.
His words: “The Chapter Chairmen were suspended even before the last elections, the
party only ratified their suspension now. It is within the jurisdiction of the state to ratify
whatever decision that is taken at the chapter level.
“But we suspended the other person (Publicity Secretary Udobong) because he granted
an interview to Global Concorde and said that the party will not win elections in the
state. That is a terrible offence against the party. He underrated the party. In fact we
feel that he may have been compromised too for him to grant such a damaging
interview that even an ordinary member of the party could not have done.”
Countering, Udobong admitted granting the interview to the said state based newspaper
even as he explained that his offence was that he pointed out that the way and manner
the state Secretariat was run without carrying all the state officers along was not
healthy for the progress and overall interest of the party in Akwa Ibom.
Party constitution
On his suspension, he said, “the Chairman Amadu Attai and his cohorts should go back
and study the party constitution very well for them to understand that the office of the
Publicity Secretary is not an appointed position but elective position. So if Ita Awak
wants to become the Publicity secretary of the APC in Akwa Ibom state he should wait
for the next party congress that will allow him to buy the form, contest for the position
and win.
“I advise Ita Awak to desist from parading himself as the Publicity Secretary of the APC
in Akwa Ibom because I am still the validly elected publicity secretary of my party.
He may decide to be the PA media to the State Chairman Amadu Attai since he is a
new member in the party but he should know that Amadu Attai has no powers to
appoint him or anybody else as State Spokesman or any other state officer of APC”
Some party members, however, believe that the unfolding plot is all part of the
strategies of the APC to burnish itself ahead of what they believe could be a
governorship rerun.
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