The All Progressives Congress, APC, has debunked reports in the media that the party’s governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, Nsima Ekere, was sacked as Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
The Party, which has insisted that Ekere formally resigned his appointment described the reports as “not only false, but maliciously contrived to deceive the unwary.”
A statement signed by Eseme Eyiboh, Chairman, Committee on Information and Strategic Communication and Spokesperson Akwa Ibom State All Progressives Congress Campaign Council, said Ekere turned in his resignation letter to the presidency, with commencement date of January 25, 2019.
According to the statement Ekere had set in motion plans for his resignation long before President Buhari sacked the board of the Commission on Friday, January 25.
READ ALSO: PDP, Atiku, Saraki reject appointment of acting CJN
The statement reads: “We state that contrary to the rumours of sack being circulated by the opposition People’s Democratic Party and their orchestra of self pity, Obong Nsima Ekere only formally resigned his appointment as the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, in accordance with extant Electoral Act, which stipulates that a candidate holding public office must resign from such office, at least 30 days to the election he is contesting.
“The preparation for Nsima Ekere’s resignation, was already afoot since two weeks ago, with tidying up of handing over notes and documentations involving relevant departments in the commission, as well as last minute official commissioning of completed projects.”
The party posited that Ekere’s tenure as the Managing Director of the NDDC, “has been adjudged as the golden era of the Commission. It witnessed the massive completion of hundreds of thousands of hitherto abandoned projects littered around the catchment states of the commission.
“He reorganized the corporate governance system of the commission to meet international best practices, ensuring that contract management of the commission became better organized and result oriented. He cancelled non performing contracts worth over N200 billion, which attracted attacks from failed contractors and their corrupt political backers.”
The APC further noted; “The announcement of the appointment of a new Acting Managing Director and the dissolution of the extant Board is entirely the prerogative of the federal government and if the presidency decides to use the opportunity provided by the resignation of Nsima Ekere to further rejig the commission in furtherance of its mandate, it has nothing to do with our candidate.”
