ORON PATRIOTIC FORUM 18th December, 2014 OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, HIS EXCELLENCY DR GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN, GCFR. Sir, AKWA IBOM STATE GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARY- AN APPEAL TO MR. PRESIDENT TO URGENTLY INTERVENE AND RESCUE PDP IN AKWA IBOM STATE FROM TOTAL COLLAPSE Oron Patriotic Forum is a socio political and cultural youth Organization duly registered under the relevant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with such clearly defined aims as: I. The promotion and support of strategies that will ensure equitable distribution of resources and opportunities among the different ethnic groups in Nigeria, particularly in Akwa Ibom State in a just, fair and equitable manner. II. To defend and promote the democratic and fundamental rights of the Oro people, III. To promote and defend the survival and identity of the Oro people within the Nigerian geo-political expression. IV. The promotion of equality and equity in the socio-economic/political landscape of Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria. V. The promotion of unity and peaceful co-existence among the component ethnic groups in Akwa Ibom State. VI. The mobilization and utilization of human and material resources to vigorously mount campaign against corruption that has eaten deep into every facet and aspect of our national life. VII. The promotion and support of responsive and efficient governance at local, state and federal levels, among others As a Youth Organization committed to the ideals enunciated above, as well as the success of your transformational leadership in Nigeria, we are compelled by recent political events and developments in Akwa Ibom State to most humbly call on you as the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to quickly intervene and save the party from imminent and total collapse in Akwa Ibom State. Our immediate concern and indeed worry is the prevailing regime of injustice, impunity, fraud, total of lack of transparency and internal party democracy within the Akwa Ibom State Chapter of the PDP under the leadership of the state Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, CON. We wish to state without equivocation that the conduct of the Governor before, during and after the just concluded Party congresses and primaries in the state is now threatening the unity and survival of the party in state. With particular reference to the just concluded National Assembly and Governorship Primaries in the state, we humbly wish to draw your attention to the following worrisome developments and or facts in Akwa Ibom state. 1. The state Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio has now reduced the machinery and structure of the party and indeed that of the state Government to a mere personal estate now subject to his personal whims and caprices. 2. The entire process leading to the conduct and the outcome of the party congresses and primaries in the state were tainted with illegality and felt far short of minimum democratic and civilized standards. 3. The results of the purportedly conducted party congresses and primaries in the state were predetermined and unlawful, orchestrated by the Governor, as there was no primary or congress conducted in line with the party Guidelines, Constitution and the Electoral Act. 4. Virtually all the ‘candidates’ purportedly nominated to fly the flag of the Party in the state in the forth coming General Elections are the cronies, acquaintances, friends, relations or close associates of the Governor, handpicked by him with the ultimate aim of foisting on the state, a political hegemony and or dynasty bent on perpetually serving his family cum personal interest. 5. The party principle on zoning is now being grossly abused and undermined by the state Governor with the sole aim of securing his personal cum parochial interests at the expense of internal party democracy, party cohesion, party unity and success. This conduct by the Governor has now subjected the PDP to an unimaginable level of ridicule and indignation before reasonable and right thinking people of Akwa Ibom state, as the Party Principle on Zoning is now being mocked at as “TARGETED ZONING” 6. The Governor through his conduct and action has continue to constitute himself as a principal factor against the attainment of ethnic harmony, peace, unity, justice and equity in the state by attempting to truncate and disrupt the prevailing tripod zoning arrangement, enunciated by our founding fathers at the creation of the state in 1987, which ironically, he is currently the principal beneficiary as an Akwa Ibom Governor of Annang extraction. For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state that in recognition of the Tripod Ethnic Stand of Akwa Ibom state on the basis of Ibibio, Annang and Oro ethnic groups, our founding fathers at the creation of the state in 1987 had decreed that for peace, cohesion, justice and ethnic harmony to be sustained, all governmental legacies, benefits or dividends, including all administrative and political positions at all levels of Government, should be shared equitably and fairly at all times such that every ethnic section of the state could also assume responsibility of commanding positions of Government. 7. On the basis of the above stated tripod arrangement, the people of Oro Ethnic Nationality, the third largest ethnic group in the state and the only major ethnic group yet to produced a Governor have made several representations to the Governor on the need for the rotation of power on the basis of ethnic tripod to be respected and allowed to run its full course. 8. Despite these agreements and representations by the Oro people, the Governor has not hidden his intention to deny the Oro people of their turn to produce the Governor of the state in 2015. This he has demonstrated by overt and covert acts, orchestrated through heavy deployment of state resources to subdue and silence every voice and mechanism geared towards the support and emergence of an Akwa Ibom Governor of Oro extraction, while at the same time deploying far more resources to promote the aspiration of his personal friend, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, an Ibibio man, to become the Governor of the state in 2015. 9. It is no longer news that Governor Akpabio is now struggling hard to parade an unpopular Mr. Udom Emmanuel whose ‘emergence’ as the ‘candidate’ of the People Democratic Party in the 2015 Governorship Election in Akwa Ibom State through a Kangaroo Governorship Primary is now a subject of litigation and a cause of bickering and intense disaffection within the party hierarchy. 10. Like an emperor with no regard for ancient treaties, covenants, boundaries and agreements, the Governor has also, in a most undemocratic manner, hijacked the Senatorial Ticket of Akwa Ibom of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District for himself against an existing zoning arrangement in favour of the long marginalized people of the Abak Federal Constituency. 11. Like in all other primary elections in the state, the rigging train of the Governor did not spare Oron Federal Constituency primary election. Just as the accreditation of delegates for the said elections was ongoing, armed security personnel menacingly ordered the immediate discontinuation of the exercise and took the election materials away to Uyo, the state Capital ,where the exercise was rigged and manipulated to ensure it produced a predetermined stooge of the Governor as a candidate of the PDP for Oron Federal Constituency Election 12. At present, majority of the citizens of the state, particularly the People of Oro Ethnic Nationality are left with deep feeling of marginalization, oppression, frustration, abandonment, betrayal, disenchantment and despondency. OUR DEMAND/CONCLUSION Mr. President, this unsavory and undemocratic conduct of our Governor if left unchecked has the potential of putting the party in disarray and weakening the support base of the party in our state. It is now an incontestable fact that the conduct of the Governor has already contributed significantly in swelling the ranks and popularity of the opposition political parties, particularly the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State, as members, including public office holders elected on the platform of the PDP are now leaving the party in droves to join the All Progressive Congress (APC). In view of the foregoing, we hereby, on behalf of the People of Oro Ethnic Nationality restate our position that it is our turn to produce the Governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2015, and we so demand. We further state that if the PDP decides to ignore our demand and allow Akpabio to have his way by imposing Mr. Udom Emmanuel, an Ibibio Man, we would be left with no other option than to pitch our tent with a political party that will be ready and willing to accommodate our political and economic interests as an ethnic group. This demand of the Oro People is founded on the principle of justice, equity, fairness and morality. Besides being the third largest ethnic group in the state, National economic data clearly and emphatically show that oil and gas reserves from the land and territorial waters of Oro provide about 80 percent of the revenue that sustains the social economic and political superstructure of Akwa Ibom state. Mr. President, with all humility, what we are simply demanding is justice, equity and fairness, and we believe, the time to act is now. Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria Long live Akwa Ibom State Long live Oro Nation Long live Oron Patriotic Forum WE ARE: 1. COMRADE EYO AWANA (PRESIDENT) 2. COMRADE ETIM OKON ESIO (SECRETARY GENERAL) 3. EMEM BENSON, ESQ (LEGAL ADVISER)
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 18:43:34 +0000
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