…Declares loyalty to APC governor
The sacked chairperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Aniekan Akpan, who has openly declared loyalty to Governor Umo Eno, who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), has denounced the dissolution of the State Executive Committee by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
The PDP through its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, had announced the dissolution of the Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State Executive Committees.
In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, the PDP also announced the composition of a caretaker committee to oversee activities in the two states for the next three months.
But, Akpan, told journalists at a press conference which held at the PDP State Secretariat, that he would resist what he described as “impunity’.
He pointedly declared that the National Working Committee of the Party was acting outside its powers, stressing that no formal meeting was convened to approve the dissolution.
Akpan particularly cited a letter by the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, which he noted “affirmed that no decision was taken to disband the Akwa Ibom executives.
He therefore described the dissolution as “false”, saying; “The PDP in Akwa Ibom is intact, right from the state down to the ward level. We will resist any impunity.
“We have it on good authority that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party that claimed to have dissolved the state executive council did not convene any formal meeting to take such a decision.
“The National Secretary of the party, Samuel Anyanwu, has issued a press release and conveyed a letter to us showing that there was no such meeting and affirmed that no formal NWC meeting was held to dissolve the state executives of the party in Akwa Ibom,” he said.
This was as Akpan dismissed insinuations concerning his loyalty to Governor Umo Eno of the APC, and emphasised that politics in Akwa Ibom must be without bitterness.
Asked if his conscience was clear as a church elder about his actions, Akpan said; “That one, we will take to church,”, stressing that he would not distance himself from Governor Eno just because of the defection.
“The governor had always said the time for politicking is over; we are now in governance. When the time comes, if you want to come and contest the election in PDP, we are available. It doesn’t mean we should distance ourselves because the governor is now in the APC,”Akapn said.
The development is being perceived in the political circle in the state as part of the vow made by Governor Eno in a leaked video that he would continue to retain the structures of the PDP even after joining the APC in a way that no one would be able to use it against him.
Governor Eno had said; “We would not leave the PDP for thieves to hijack and use it against us… We will lead the structure of the party (PDP), so that they can work together with the APC”.
