- Insist party structures must change
By Franklyn Isong
The political crisis rocking the Akwa Ibom State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have taken a new dimension as this paper reliably gathered that some 2015 governorship aspirants of the party in the state have resolved to halt the ambition of the party chairman, Prince Uwem Ita Etuk to lead the party into 2015 and preside over the 2015 primaries of the party in the state.
The party chairman has recently been locked in a tussle with some chieftains of the party who are not comfortable with his leadership style in the party.
Weekly Insight learnt at the weekend that while some of these PDP elders want him changed, others want a total overhaul of the state party structure because they believed that it was skewed to the advantage of one of the aspirants and therefore could not be trusted to conduct primaries that would be free and fair.
Trouble started when the wards, local Governments and state congress of the party could not hold and the chairman went on air to call for the names of all the party’s ward excos in the state. The action, some of the aspirants who wanted a change in the party structures considered was geared towards keeping the structure for his preferred candidates.
This paper learnt that beyond fighting for a new state chairman, the PDP elders also want the accounts of the party probed as there was wide spread allegations of embezzlement and mismanagement of party funds.
Our source hinted that already, aspirants for the state chairmanship position of the party have began moves to see that apart from the Uwem Etuk other party officers both at the wards, local government and state level emerge as that was the only remedy to the current crisis rocking the party.
According to our source, some 2015 governorship aspirants were behind the travails of the state PDP boss. The source noted that the aspirants believed that if the current chairman maintain his office, he would return his favourite aspirant at the polls.
Weekly Insight reliably gathered that last week, a strong contender to the Hilltop Mansion in the 2015 polls had made moves to some powerful Abuja-based politicians to ensure the replacement of Uwem Ita Etuk and the state party structures before 2015.
The PDP henchman has been accused of eyeing the state deputy governorship seat and working for the success of his candidate whom his accusers say was current an officer of the party.
Meanwhile, the agitation for new party structures seem to bite harder as a top government source disclosed that the governor, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio has bought into the idea and has promised to ensure that a new party exco emerged before the 2015 polls.
The state governor this paper learnt would not openly comment on the issue because, according to our source, it was sensitive in nature bearing in mind the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship petition against the governor. He added that the governor had wanted to make his stand known during the botched congresses when he was reminded of the effect of such action on the election petition since the current party structure would testify at the tribunal.
Weekly Insight gathered at the weekend that the PDP structure had a meeting where it was canvassed and agreed that pressure be brought on the governor to compel him to sack those in the administration who may have their eyes on 2015. The party bigwigs were said to have agreed to use blackmail and threats of rebellion to drive home their points. Among the weapons the party chieftains plan to use as blackmail against the governor was that no party officials would testify at the renewed tribunal sitting if the governor fails to do their bidding. One state officer of the party boasted when he spoke to Weekly insight on the matter that “We will deal with him (the governor) if he dares us. If he had a second term, why shouldn’t we? What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. He cannot eat his cake and have it. Its either we remain or we go together.”
The paper learnt that last week, some group of PDP chieftains believed to be named as witnesses to governor Akpabio at the election tribunal met and resolved to persuade the governor to drop some members of his cabinet, including, his deputy, Mr. Nsima Ekere and Secretary to the State Government, Obong Umana Okon Umana, if the governor wants them to testify at the tribunal against the ACN governorship candidate, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe.
This moves was however confirmed by a member of the governor’s legal team who pleaded anonymity to this paper. The lawyer said that the governor was in a fixed especially when the matter was slated to begin in Uyo on Wednesday this week, assuring that the matter would be handled politically.
The action of the believed PDP witnesses have however been dismissed as blackmail. An elder of the party who did not want to be named in this report descried it as empty threat, saying that the plot would fail because it was masterminded by opponents of the two top government officials.
Meanwhile, some of those calling for an overhaul of the state PDP have argued that the current party structure was constituted by the current deputy chairman of the party, Bishop Samuel Akpan through his Akwa Ibom People Forum. They alleged that even the governor was aware of this fact which was the reason Bishop Akpan was fired from office of the Political Adviser to the governor at the inception of the government.
These group of PDP chieftains contended that while Akpan was in government, he ensured that members of his group, the AKPF were made to occupy sensitive positions in PDP, as well as LGCs as elected chairman through consensus arrangement, which he used the former party boss to contrive.
It would be recalled the main issue that threatened and strained the relationship between Obong Victor Attah, Senator Udoedehe and others with the governor had to do with the perceived lopsided and undemocratic selection of people into the party executive in the state. Bishop Akpan had at the height of his powers installed all the party executive from the ward to the state exco. This was frowned at by party stakeholders, who then insisted that it was either the Bishop leaves the powerful position of political adviser or they leave. The governor was then compelled to relieve Akpan of his appointment and was subsequently sent to the party as a form of soft landing.
With Akpan joining the 2015 race, his opponents think he would be a big threat to a free and fair contest except the party’s structures were overhauled before the party’s primaries. They vowed that the party would not know peace as it would be faced with serious threats, which if not addressed might lead to a major disintegration of the party.
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