DEMOCRACY HAS BEEN MURDERED IN WARD 7 CENTRAL

A JOINT STATEMENT ISSUED TODAY AUGUST 21, 2020 BY COMRADE NSIKAN NNAH SUNDAY AND ITOHOWO ETIM EBITO

As early as 10 am in the morning of yesterday August 20, 2020, we arrived the Eket Chapter office of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) along Eket Oron Road in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State with some of our supporters ready for the party primaries as was earlier issued in a Press Statement by the State Publicity Secretary of our great party, Mr Borono Bassey.

While waiting at the party office with other members of the party from other wards, the Local Government Coordinating Committee (LGEC) led by Hon. Ayang Akanimo Ayang arrived with the materials.

Thereafter, Member representing Eket State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. David Lawrence also arrived at the party office and was later joined by the Honourable Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Frank Archibong. The Chapter Chairman, ObongIwaad Emmanuel Mbong, Chapter Secretary, Mr Gordian Udoh and all Returning Officers were present.

A few hours later, materials for different wards were released and distributed to Returning Officers and to our greatest surprise, it was only materials for Ward 7 Central that was not released. We demanded to know why materials from other wards were released but the one for Ward 7 Central was not released but no explanation was given. It is now clearer that PDP Elders in Eket local government area in collaboration with some party Elders in Ward 7 Central have perfected a plan to impose Smith Udo Johnny, someone with questionable educational qualification on the entire people of Ward 7 Central.

We want to state here emphatically that the people of Ward 7 Central and in particular Odio community will NEVER accept the imposition of Smith Udo Johnny as a Councillor under any guise.

We are all members of the Peoples Democratic Party and have made our contributions in different dimension and deserve to be given equal opportunity to test our popularity and acceptability at the field in a free, fair and transparent nomination process.

We are strongly against imposition of any aspirant on the people of Ward 7 Central as such act is an indirect invitation for anarchy and breakdown of law and other. The will of the people of Ward 7 Central must stand.

To this end, we passionately appeal to the leader of the party, His Excellency, Mr Udom Emmanuel, State Chairman of PDP, Hon. Udo Ekpenyong, Chairman of PDP Electoral Committee, Rt. Hon. Pat Ifon, State Legal Adviser of PDP, Barr. Akpadiaha Ebitu, the Political Leader of Eket Senatorial District, Chief Nduese Essien, Chairman Eket Electoral Coordinating Committee, Hon. Ayang Akanimo Ayang, Chapter Chairman of PDP in Eket, ObongIwaad Emmanuel Mbong and other key stakeholders of PDP in Eket Local Government Area to please rescue Ward 7 Central from external influence by allowing the people to elect whoever they want to represent them in a democratic process as was done in all other wards in Eket local government.

We are more convinced that all the people so listed above were democratically elected and the people were allowed to exercise their franchise.

Ward 7 Central case should not be different. We are asking the party to conduct a fresh primary in Ward 7 Central in line with the guidelines of the party.

Thank you for your consideration.

Cc:

The Chairman, Eket Local Government Area
The DPO, Eket Divisional Police Headquarters
The Director, DSS Eket
The Paramount Ruler of Eket