The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akwa Ibom says the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has no governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections.
This was contained in a report sent by the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom, Mike Igini to the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
“We wish to report that the APC governorship primary scheduled to hold on Thursday, May 26, 2022, at the Sheergrace Arena, Nsikak Eduok Avenue, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State did not hold at all,” Mr Igini reported in a letter dated May 27 to INEC headquarters in Abuja.
According to the letter, the commission’s monitoring team, led by Mr Igini, in the company of the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom (now Assistant Inspector-General of Police), Andrew Amiengheme, arrived at the venue of the primary for the third time at 6:45 p.m., without seeing anyone.
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The state INEC monitoring team, according to Igini, comprised Emmanuel E. Ogbodu Esq. (Administrative Secretary), Henry Mbonu (HOD EPM), Mark Chukwu Esq. (HOD Legal) and Aisien Odaro (HOD VEP).
Others were Vincent Oghene (HOD EOPS), Arit Eschor (HOD GAP), Aniedi Usungedo (EPM Dept.), and Uwem Ntia (EPM Dept.).
Straightnews learned that the heads of the two federal agencies were informed that the APC election committee members were held up by an angry group of APC members along Four Lanes in Uyo.
The operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) later rescued the APC election officials that night and took them to their (SSS) facility in the city.
The Chairman of the Election Committee, Tunde Ajibulu had told Mr Igini on the phone that he was unable to leave the SSS office because he was traumatised and could go ahead with the primary.
Mr Ajibulu reportedly told Mr Igini that Sheergrace Arena was not the venue given to him by the party’s national office in Abuja to conduct the governorship primary and concluded that “all activities be postponed until he gets back at the Commission.”
A source told Straightnews that Akpabio’s faction brought the election materials from Abuja in a bulletproof car.
”He came with INEC Commissioners, party’s officials, a detachment of soldiers and policemen for conduct of the primaries.
”On arrival at Uyo, Akpanudoedehe’s faction got wind of it. They rolled out cars and blocked the car along Four lanes in Uyo.
”Later in the night, the faction backed by Akpabio whisked away the materials to their Head Office along Ekpo Obot Street in Uyo and conducted the primary in which Senator Ita Enang, one of the Governorship aspirants, participated in the exercise.’’
Eventually, Obong Akan Udofia, who polled the highest number of votes, was declared winner of the exercise.
Owing to frustration, a top governorship aspirant and former national secretary of the APC, James John Akpanudoedehe, defected to the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNDP), where he secured the party’s governorship ticket for the 2023 election in the state.
Before Mr Akpanudoedehe’s exit from the party, the APC in Akwa Ibom had been torn into two factions because of a protracted battle between him and a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, over the control of the party structure in the state.
Akpabio on Thursday, June 9 “won” the senatorial primary for the Akwa Ibom North-West District, conducted by a faction loyal to him.
This was as both factions had held Senatorial primaries. Akpanudoedehe’s faction held its priamry at Government Primary School, Ikot Ekpene on May 27 and was won by DIG Udom Ekpoudom (retd) while a faction loyal to Akpabio held its own at Ikot Ekpene Township Stadium on May 28 and Obongemem Ekperikpe Ekpo was declared a winner.
