Senator Akpanudoedehe’s Exit And The Effect On APC In Akwa Ibom

1 year ago

Senator Akpanudoedehe’s Exit And The Effect On APC In Akwa Ibom

Although the decision of the immediate past National Secretary of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator John Akpanudoedehe to quit the party came to many as a shock, his loyalists who have been mounting pressures on him to quit the party have been in jubilation since the announcement was made on Monday.

Akpanudoedehe in a statement he issued and personally signed had apologised to all his supporters, reassuring them that the move is for the best.

He wrote, “I write to notify you of my resignation from the All Progressives Congress, forthwith.

“Henceforth, I cease to be a member of the APC in my ward (Ward 6, in Uyo LGA) or anywhere for that matter. I hereby relinquish all rights accrued to me as a member of the APC, member of the National Advisory Council and member of National Caucus of the APC.

“This decision to part ways with the APC is a tough one, but leadership entails adherence to the wishes of the vast majority of associates, allies and supporters who have shown fidelity overtime and have now witnessed the obduracy of the APC in handling the candidates’ selection processes in Akwa Ibom state.”

Background

Akpanudoedehe, one of the founding fathers of APC had been nurturing the party as a leading opposition figure and making it a viable opposition party to the ruling party in the state, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Long before the merger that birthed the APC, Akpanudoedehe, for close to two decades, was the face of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state. His departure therefore marks a turning point in the opposition politics in the oil-rich state.

Many said he committed his time and resources into making the APC what it is in the state today. He suffered intimidation and harassment from the then PDP Governor, Godswill Akpabio, the incumbent Minister of Niger Delta.

However, crisis erupted in the party in 2018 when Akpabio dumped the PDP for APC and tried to hijack the party structures. This was vehemently resisted by the stakeholders he met in APC, led by Akpanudoedehe. The leadership struggle became so intense, leading to legal battle which is still in court.

The APC faction loyal to Akpanudoedehe was edged out of office under controversial circumstances by the man backed by Akpabio, Stephen Ntukekpo, who had forged the results of the APC Congress in Akwa Ibom to get a favourable court judgement at a Federal High Court, Abuja.

Seeking to right this wrong, Akpanudoedehe went to the Court of Appeal, Abuja, to challenge the judgement of the lower court, but he was frustrated by the support Akpabio and his faction in Akwa Ibom were getting from the national leadership of APC led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

However, the last straw for Akpanudoedehe was the recently concluded APC governorship primary in the state.

Many residents of Akwa Ibom were shocked when Akanimo Udofia, a PDP decampee was declared the winner of the exercise.

In the suspense-filled exercise which lasted from midnight till the wee hours of Friday May 27, Udofia polled a total of 1,227 votes to beat seven other contestants including the immediate past Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta, Senator Ita Enang who scored 34 votes and Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, the immediate past National Secretary of the APC Caretaker Committee who got 2 votes.

Other participants in the primary exercise which was conducted by the Akwa Ibom APC Election Committee chaired by Omoba Tunde Ajibulu were Professor Chris Ekong, 21 votes, Uduak Udoh 7 votes, Richard Anana 2 votes, Larry Esin 1 vote and Augustine Utuk 0.

Given the large followership he commands in the state, many APC members rejected the result, citing manipulation. According to them, there is no way, Akpanudoedehe, a seasoned politician with large grassroots followership in the state could have scored just two votes.

In a press release last week Wednesday by APC Party Faithfuls In Akwa Ibom state, Chief Don Etiebet, former Minister of Petroleum Resources while giving a vivid description of what transpired during the primary exercise said “We are all aware that the Panel sent from the National Headquarters of our great Party arrived the Victor Attah International Airport in a Private jet and was received by the Party’s South South Zonal Secretary. Thereafter they rode in convoy in a bus and were to go to the authorized INEC recognized Venue at Sheergrace Arena for the conduct of the gubernatorial primary election where all the accredited delegates had gathered”.

“Along the way, the Panel members objected to going to Sheergrace Arena Venue saying they were directed from Abuja to go to a Venue at No. 6 Ekpo Obot Street in the town which was unknown to the Party and even INEC and Police to be the Venue for the conduct of the primary. This was resisted by the Party members who had followed the Bus from the airport, saying the authorized Venue was at the Sheergrace Arena. This resulted in some disagreements that lasted for more than two hours. In order to avert violence, they all agreed to go to the DSS Director’s office for safety of persons and materials”.

“Meanwhile, the CP and the INEC REC who were waiting for them in their offices linked up and went to Sheergrace Arena the Venue of the primary to wait for the Panel to arrive to conduct the primary election. When the Panel members did not go to the Venue, a telephone conversation ensued between the INEC REC Mr. Mike Igini and the Director of DSS in the presence of the CP who was also at the Sheergrace Arena Venue. It was heard that the Director of DSS asked Mr. Mike Igini to speak with the Chairman of the Panel who was with him in his office”.

“During the telephone conversation the Chairman of the Panel told INEC REC that they were too traumatized and tired to conduct any more Primary election that day and that he had told other gubernatorial aspirants that the Primary election was postponed. Mr. Mike Igini went further to confirm with the Panel Chairman that he would not conduct any primary election again that night before he, Mr. Mike Igini announced to the delegates that the Primary election had been postponed and then left the Sheergrace Arena Venue as well as the CP”.

“The whole of this episode and the telephone conversation between Mr. Mike Igini, the INEC Resident Commissioner, the Director of DSS and the Panel Chairman is on tape. Unfortunately, the Panel members were surreptitiously drafted to another venue by certain people to proceed to purportedly conduct gubernatorial primaries without the presence of the Commission at about midnight when all the Party faithfuls and delegates had since dispatched following the announcement of the postponement of the Governorship primaries by the INEC Resident Commissioner of Akwa Ibom State. This is quite contrary to the provisions of Section 84(1) of the election Act and cannot be allowed to stand”.

“We therefore take this opportunity to appeal to the leadership of our great Party to intervene and have the situation redressed by directing the conduct of proper gubernatorial primaries in line with Section 84 (1) of the Electoral Act immediately before it is too late”.

Also speaking with newsmen, Emmanuel Umoh, a chieftain of APC in Akwa Ibom said it is unfortunate how the APC national leadership led by Abdullahi Adamu treated Akpanudoedehe despite his sacrifice and contribution to the stability of the party as National Secretary to the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Committee.

“It is very unfortunate that the APC national leadership has chosen to take sides and allow injustice to be perpetrated in our party. We all know how Senator Akpanudoedehe risked his life and stood behind the national chairman, Buni when he was to be removed. Is this the way to pay him back by rigging him out of a governorship primary? How did he score two votes? That to me is totally unacceptable and APC will suffer for this in the days ahead. It is a bad way to reward those who have laboured for the party” he said.

Soon after announcing his resignation from APC, Akpanudoedehe joined the newly formed New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and will fly the party’s flag in the 2023 governorship election. Already many former APC membrs in the state are already trooping to the NNPP in solidarity with Akpanudoedehe. Will he succeed in his quest to govern Akwa Ibom? Time will tell.