A total of 31 pieces of 18-seater branded Toyota buses worth millions of naira have been inauguarated and handed over to the 31 chapters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria.
StraightNews gathered that the state government bought and distributed the buses to the various PDP chapters for mobilisation preparatory to the party’s primaries in August this year and subsequent general elections in February next year.
Governor Udom Emmanuel inaugurated the buses and urged people aspiring for elective positions in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to allow personal interest to cause division in the party.
Emmanuel, who gave the advice Tuesday during New Year get-together organized for chapter executive members, faithful and stakeholders of the party at the party’s secretariat, Edet Akpan Avenue, Uyo, re-affrimed his stand on the zoning principle of the party.
He sued for peace, stating “Let our interest not divide the party. The officers would come and go, but the relationships would remain forever. I promise that I would not violate the zoning principle.”
The governor commended the leaderships of the party at different levels in the state for their dedication to duty and the political office holders for effective representation also praised the party members for their successful outing during the December 2 local government elections outing.
He charged them to take advantage of the ongoing registration exercise in the state organized by Independent National Electroal Commission (INEC) by mobilizing their members to register to enable them to exercise their civic responsibilities during the forthcoming elections in the country.
Paul Ekpo, the state PDP Chairman applauded the governor for his achievements in all sectors, and expressed the hope that with God the party would come out victorious in the 2019 elections.
Ekpo said the event is usually hosted on a yearly basis to fraternise with members and to renew their loyalty to the party, assuring that the party has come out with programmes to woo new members to the party and win in the forthcoming elections.
However, Emmanuel used one stone and killed two birds- inaugurated the buses and also attended New Year party to fraternise with some of chapter executive members and stakeholders, among others who might have been divided by the rivalry between the governor and Akpabio.
It was another opportunity of fence-mending mission and strengthening of political alliances after the purported rift between the governor and his political godfather, Senator Godswill Akpabio that saw some politicians exchanging brickbats in the social media with others in a do-or-die manner.
The Eket Senatorial PDP Elders Forum led by Chief Essien Ndueso, a two-time member who represented Eket Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives under PDP is said to have purportedly doused the raging fire.
Unlike some PDP stakeholders of Uyo senatorial district who wanted to go for the jugular of Akpabio, the Eket political elders in their press statement waved an “olive branch” and brokered truce between the feuding two.
They had first paid a solidarity visit to Governor Emmanuel at Government House, Uyo and later paid same to Senator Akpabio in his country home, Ukana in Essien Udim local government area.
The peace-brokering visits provided the needed balm to the frosty relationship and provided a soft-landing to the two gladiators who might have filed their political matchets to undo one another, thereby bringing down the rising political temperature to the bearable level.
As a sign of reconciliation, the duo-Emmanuel and Akpabio- sat together on the same high table at Government House Banquet hall, Uyo and exchanged banters during the State PDP Caucus meeting on Saturday, January 20.
StraightNews confirmed that the two big political birds met on Sunday, January 21, during the foundation-laying ceremony of International Worship Centre at Banking Layout, Uyo performed by Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God worldwide.
