The Peoples Democratic Party, Akwa Ibom State chapter, has condemned the last minute postponement of the February 16, presidential and National Assembly elections.
Rising from an enlarged State Caucus meeting in Uyo, on Tuesday, the party expressed regret over the huge losses incurred by Nigerians and supporters of the party who had travelled far and near to exercise their franchise in favour of the PDP.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the party urged its supporters not to be frustrated by the postponement, but to come out in their numbers to vote for Atiku Abubakar to replace the incompetent and clueless government of the APC at the Federal level and return the Government of Udom Emmanuel to enable him complete his development agenda in the state.
The party stakeholders congratulated the Governor for the successful execution of the Ibom Air project which they said has made Akwa Ibom the first state to launch such a project in the entire country.
The Akwa Ibom state PDP, went on to condemn the call for the removal of Mr Mike Igini, INEC’S Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state describing the call as “the most unpatriotic and infantile reactions from a party that is alien to Akwa Ibom State which has sensed its imminent defeat at the polls on February 23 and March 9, 2019.”
It maintained that: “The PDP is indigenous to Akwa Ibom State and firmly rooted, so we do not need a compromised aide of INEC REC or the staff to win elections in Akwa Ibom State. All we are asking for is proper, fair, genuine and credible conduct of the elections and unbiased umpire which is what Mike Igini Esq. represents.”
In the 10 point communiqué, the party equally condemned in strong terms the disposition of some security agencies in the state whom it said “now operate as extensions of the APC,” using the cases of AIG Kimo, the former CP of the State whom it described “as an instrument of intimidation of members of our Party by wanton and baseless arrests/detention,” as an example.
The party noted that it was on record that all those leading the fight against Mr Igini were doing so after they failed to compromise him.
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They commended Gov. Udom Emmanuel for the success of his electioneering campaign especially, “his timeous attendance of all the campaign schedules and the respectful manner in which he engaged members of the traditional council at each Local Government Area and reaffirmed the Party’s commitment to participate in the elections without violence.
They pledged their allegiance to the Governor’s resolve to sustain the peace that has become a trademark for Akwa Ibom State in the country and passed a vote of confidence on him for what they described as “his sterling performance in his first term in office and particularly for inspiring the peace that the state is now enjoying in areas like Ukanafun and Etim Ekpo Local Government Areas that were hitherto in crises.”
In attendance at the meeting were Governor Udom Emmanuel, the Deputy Governor, Mr. Moses Ekpo, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke, members of the National Assembly, the National Legal Adviser, the Director General, Divine Mandate Organization Idongesit Nkanga, members of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, the State Chairman of the Party, Paul Ekpo, who chaired the meeting, the leadership of the Party in the State among others.
