Members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Akwa Ibom Chapter hurriedly assembled for a stakeholders meeting Wednesday took time to boo the state chairman, Obong Paul Ekpo, over his failure to ensure award of N2.6 billion contract to executive members of the party’s ward chapters.
The PDP stakeholders and members who gathered at the party’s permanent secretariat at Atan Offot in Uyo local government area jeered at the chairman when he praised Governor Udom Emmanuel for his readiness to award contracts to ward leaders.
The members who came from the 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom State murmured, complaining that the contract was long overdue as they collected loans from various banks to execute the jobs.
It was gathered that Governor Udom Emmanuel had during his electioneering campaigns promised to award contracts to members at the ward levels.
Piqued by the failure of the party to implement the Governor’s promise, members of the party across the wards poured invective on Ekpo usually regarded as ‘Paul Ekpo Politics’ during a stakeholders’ meeting of the party.
It was gathered that the party had promised “ward contract” to the people of the party before the re-election of the Governor.
Sources in the party told The Nation that each of the 329 wards was to be awarded the contract of N8 million, making a total of N2.6 billion for all the wards.
The sources also revealed that some of the wards were given N2 million before the general elections while others received nothing.
But a ward executive told Straightnews that “The governor awarded the jobs of renovation of primary schools and other sundry jobs to us. Since his first term in the office uptil now, he has not paid us thus piling up huge debts for us.”
However, Emmanuel mounted the podium, rendered songs to lift their depressed souls, thus drowning the dissenting voices at the venue.
He vowed to speedily implement all the earlier decisions the party had with wards in the state.
Emmanuel said it was not wrong for the people to speak up as that has helped him to know that all is not well with the people.
He said: “If I don’t do this, do not believe whatever I will say again.”
The governor, therefore, announced N120 million from his teeming friends to soothe frayed nerves and offset their transport fares; hence the party faithful cheered hilariously.
