PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED IN ABUJA BY HIS EXCELLENCY, ARC. (OBONG) VICTOR ATTAH, ATUEKONG DON ETIEBET, AND CHIEF EDET NKPUBRE ON BEHALF OF AKWA IBOM STATE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY(PDP) LEADERS, ELDERS, STAKEHOLDERS, WOMEN, YOUTHS AND A LARGE MAJORITY OF ITS MEMBERS ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2014 Gentlemen of the Press, THAT DEMOCRACY MAY RETURN TO AKWA IBOM 1. Our great party, the PDP, has often been accused of lacking in internal democracy. This affliction has been exacerbated by the dictatorial tendencies of some governors which has resulted in the severe erosion of the supreme authority of the party. We must therefore thank the acting National Chairman of our party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, CON, the game changer, who has stoutly stood his ground with the determination that democratic processes must be re-established within the party. We thank the National Working Committee (NWC) for standing by him to ensure that our great party lives up to its name as a peoples party and a democratic party. Above all, we thank the President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, for admonishing the governors to go back and work with the members and stakeholders of the party in their various states to bring about popular and acceptable candidates who can win elections rather than try to bulldoze the party leadership into clearing the way for their anointed aspirants. Indeed, there is hope for our party. 2. Nowhere else in this Federation has this lack of internal democracy plagued our party in such a severe manner as in Akwa Ibom State. Several unwholesome developments since 2008 forced hundreds of the good people of our dear state to abandon the party - an occurrence which did not augur well for the party. We had catalogued these developments during our presentation to the South-South Integration Committee and proffered genuine solutions but have observed that nothing has changed in the state. We therefore use the opportunity of this Press Conference to restate our position. 3. We want all those who left the party in protest and frustration and have indicated genuine interest to return to the PDP fold, to be allowed to return, re-admitted, re- united and integrated into the party for the good of the party in the state. 4. We state, with emphasis, that in view of the widespread disenchantment in the state PDP and Akwa Ibom State as a whole, His Excellency, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio,CON, cannot claim to be able to single- handedly deliver the votes of Akwa Ibom people to the President in 2015. Since also politics is a game of numbers and other parties have for some time now been engaged in aggressive membership drive, we call upon our party at the national level to view as sabotage, and as a serious anti-party offence, the removal of our membership registers by the state leadership of the party, since six months ago, from all the 329 wards to the governor’s lodge or the state party secretariat in Uyo. We have therefore resolved that all these registers must be returned to the wards forthwith to enable all intending new members to be registered ahead of the ward congresses, and we shall not condone any falsification or fraudulent changes in these registers. 5. In firm support of the position of the acting National Chairman, the NWC, and the President, we wish to restate our resolute stand against imposition of any candidate. We therefore urge the national leadership of our party to be very firm in ensuring that a level playing field is established for all aspirants and to sanction any NWC member found to be aiding and abetting the imposition of any person or group of persons. If a consensus arrangement is to be adopted, it should be done in such a manner as to strengthen democracy. 6. A level playing field cannot be had if the Electoral College consisting of delegates is skewed. It is imperative therefore that the delegates list must be authenticated. We are aware that agents of government in the state have already prepared fraudulent lists of delegates ahead of the ward congresses. We have therefore resolved that the Delegates List to be used for the gubernatorial primary MUST be authenticated by the under-listed distinguished personalities: His Excellency, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, CON, Incumbent Governor His Excellency, Arc. (Obong) Victor Attah, Former Governor and Permanent member, BOT Atuekong Don Etiebet, Permanent Member, BOT Chief Edet Nkpubre, Former PDP National Vice Chairman, South-South Zone 7. Sadly, our party has been totally appropriated as the personal property of the governor. Besides, the only thing worse than a skewed list of delegates in an election is a biased umpire. (A) Our State Chairman, Obong Paul Ekpo, who by virtue of his position is a member of the electoral panel, has openly and unapologetically admitted that he is there to do the wishes of the governor. He has therefore not tried to conceal or disguise his bias in favour of Udom Emmanuel, the governor’s anointed. The recent disruptive changes in the party structures and indeed in the local government executives have further exposed him as one whose continuous stay in office is bound to bring upheavals to our dear party. In our determination to rescue our party from imminent catastrophe, we have resolved as follows: (i) That Obong Paul Ekpo be relieved of his position as the State chairman of PDP in Akwa Ibom State forthwith. (ii) That PDP Elders and Stakeholders from Uyo Senatorial District to which he belongs, be asked to come up with a replacement for him. (B) Given the crucial need to untangle the party from the stranglehold of the Akpabio family and return it to the good people of Akwa Ibom State, we unanimously resolved that: (i) The State Secretary of the PDP, Barrister Ibanga Akpabio, the blood brother of His Excellency, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, CON, be removed as the Secretary of our great party forthwith. (ii) As in A (ii) above, the PDP Elders and Stakeholders from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District to which he belongs be asked to produce a replacement for him. (C) We further resolved that the State Youth Leader of the PDP, Mr. Emmanuel Ekpenyong be changed, in view of his open support for Mr. Udom Emmanuel whose imposition as the party candidate is being sponsored by Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, the state governor. CONCLUSION 8. Gentlemen of the Press, we wish to impress it on you that, regardless of whatever falsehoods you have been led to believe in the past, there is uncommon hunger in Akwa Ibom; there is uncommon anger. There is also uncommon tension which can lead to uncommon revolt against our beloved party. 9. Our purpose for this press conference is to highlight these damning issues so that our party leadership can take appropriate measures to stem the tide before the dam bursts so that democracy may survive even in Akwa Ibom State. 10. Thank you. Signed: His Excellency, Arc. (Obong) Victor Attah Chief Don Etiebet, CON Chief Edet Nkpubre
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 14:41:08 +0000