Ahead of Saturday, December 2, 2017, local government elections, three Councillorship candidates of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ibeno have announced their withdrawal from the race as a result of the sterling performance of Governor Udom Emmanuel and the reality on ground.
They are Mr. Victor Bassey of Ward-7, Mr. Sunday Udoeka Eshiet of Ward-10 and Friday Friday Samuel of Ward-4.
The candidates, who had informed the Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC) through a formal letter of withdrawal 48 hours to the election and while announcing their decisions to respect and honour the State Governor and his representative, Rt. Hon. Okpolupm Etteh, cited the infrastructural strides and development brought about by the administration as their reasons for withdrawal.
A statement made available to newsmen by one of the candidates, Mr. Victor Bassey (Bishop), in Ibeno on Thursday, said he decided to bow out in order to enable him work with his brothers, sisters and other party faithful in ensuring that PDP wins landslide in the election.
According to Mr. Bassey, “I have traversed the state and particularly Ibeno Local Government Area and I have learnt firsthand from people what the most pertinent issues affecting their daily lives were. I have also spent a significant amount of time discussing my candidacy within the ranks of the APC just as I did with the broader populace. My interaction with potential voters and stakeholders made it clear that PDP was Ibeno and Ibeno was PDP. So, I have decided to join and support the winning team.”
They also hinged their reasons on the grounds that indicators within the APC did not convince them that the party was ready or prepared for elections.
Receiving them, the Ibeno Chapter Chairman of PDP, Mr. Emma Ibok, commended them for the wise decision to join the winning team and urged them to be steadfast, maintain that they will be fully rewarded.
He said the return of the candidates to the PDP has further confirmed the belief of the people in the party and in the ideals and programmes of the Udom Emmanuel-led administration.
Our investigations revealed that the situation has left the APC in Ibeno with only four councillorship candidates from Ward-1, Ward-2, Ward-5 and Ward-6 out of 10 Wards in the local government area.
