The recent alleged solidarity visit to Governor Udom Emmanuel by members of the G-22, a platform of aggrieved 2015 Governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State, raised so much controversy in the state.
Latest among many of the controversies is the alleged endorsement of the aspiration of a former Attorney General of the State and Nigerian Ambassador to Russia and Belarus, Assam Assam, SAN, as National Legal Adviser of PDP by the Governor Emmanuel.
Refuting the allegation recently, the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Comrade Ini Ememobong, who described the information: “Why Assam Can’t Be PDP National Legal Adviser” as a comical news item, said the leadership of the party “has not issued any press statement or granted any interview on the subject matter of the visit of some former governorship spirant to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.”
According to him, the attendance of the party leadership by Obong Paul Ekpo was “due to his office as the state party chairman whose duty is to facilitate coercion and encourage unity among party faithful. At no time during the meeting was the issue of the aspiration of any of the guests discussed.”
The party Publicity Secretary explained that “the State Chairman did not and in fact cannot say that Chief Assam Assam SAN (a former Attorney General of the State and Ambassador of Nigeria to Russia and Belarus) collected money from Chief Godswil Akpabio during election petition tribunal. The former governorship aspirants are all members of the party who have not at any material time defected from the party and therefore have the undeniable right to visit and show solidarity to the governor who is the leader of the party.”
“The State Party under the leadership of Obong Paul Ekpo has maintained an open front door policy where defectors are welcomed back with open arms and absorbed into the party. By the tone of the said report the source is obvious – our opponents who desire to cause acrimony within our party. However, their badly crafted work showed bad faith ex facie and can only pass for a poor attempt at criminal fiction,” Comrade Ememobong maintained.
He charged media practitioners to shun junk journalism and embrace ethical journalism, adding that “the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State remains a strong, untorn and unshakable umbrella which is providing great shade and succor for the masses who are troubled by the scourge of the chains of negative change.”
Comrade Ememobong commended the State Governor for playing host to distinguished Akwa Ibom citizens who were his co-competitors during the governorship primaries.
The State PDP Publicity Secretary, who thanked the former Governorship aspirants for their sho of maturity and faith in the party, said “we will continue to place huge premium on quality membership who can disagree without jumping ship – this is indeed a great show of honour and principle which is totally at variance with the easy and lesser virtue of jumping ship at the manifestation of the most flimsy reason.”
A’IBOM PDP GIVES POSITION ON ASSAM ASSAM’S “NATIONAL LEGAL ADVISER ASPIRATION”
