A former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State, Nsima Ekere has blamed the former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio for the perennial crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State.
In a video clip circulating on WhatsApp, Mr Ekere talked about the unresolved issues of who lead the APC at the ward, local government, and the state levels in Akwa Ibom, and accused Mr Akpabio of instigating the crisis which has crippled the party in the state.
“The crisis in Akwa Ibom APC stems from the last congresses of the party.
“The congresses were held from ward to local government to the state level, and the officers of the party were elected. And very unfortunately, the former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, I am not afraid to say this, instigated some guys, some of his supporters, and they went and forged the result of the congresses and used it to deceive the court to obtain an order. That is what has led to the crisis in the party today,” Mr Ekere said in the clip.
Mr Ekere, a former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, was the Akwa Ibom APC governorship candidate in 2019. He lost the election to the incumbent governor, Udom Emmanuel of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mr Ekere was the chairman of the planning committee for Bola Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign rally in Akwa Ibom.
From his remarks, it appears Mr Ekere spoke at his country home in Ikot Abasi, on 18 March, the day for the governorship and state assembly elections, to a correspondent of a national television station.
Forgery case against APC chairman
PREMIUM TIMES previously reported how Stephen Ntukekpo, the man who is the APC chairman in Akwa Ibom, backed by Mr Akpabio, used forged documents to obtain a court judgment which removed from office the validly elected chairman and other exco members of the party in the state.
The police investigated Mr Ntukekpo and recommended he should be charged for alleged forgery.
Mr Ekere said what happened in the APC had caused “disillusion” among the party members in Akwa Ibom.
“Unfortunately also, the national executive of the party refused to look at the issues and address them for whatever reason. And so you have somebody who emerged and is recognised as the chairman of the party in the state who didn’t win the congress, and everybody saw that he didn’t win,” he said.
‘What we expect Akpabio to do’
The former deputy governor said Mr Ntukekpo, rather than reach out to other members of the party for peace, went ahead and replaced party leaders at the ward and local government level with people from a political group that was formed to advance Mr Akpabio’s political interest.
“We expected Akpabio, as a high ranking member of this party, to be able to reach out and do the right thing. Up till down he has not had the humility to reach out and bring about genuine peace and reconciliation in the party, and people are still very aggrieved.
“I pray it would come to that time where he can actually take necessary steps to bring about a genuine peace and reconciliation in the party. If you asked me and would say everything begins and ends with Godswill Akpabio. The day he decides to be reasonable, the day he decides to make peace in the party in Akwa Ibom State, there will be peace.
“Let’s go back to resolve the issue of the party exco. Godswill Akpabio knows that Stephen Ntukekpo did not win the congress. He also knows that the people that are in the chapter executives are not people that won the congresses. This has caused a lot of friction,” Mr Ekere said.
“I do not know his own recognised chairman is in my ward. I don’t know who the fellow he says is the chapter chairman of the APC in Ikot Abasi.
“This thing also affected the primary, and so you found a situation where candidates emerged for the party in various constituencies without the stakeholders of the party in those areas knowing who they are.
“For the very first time, I got to know the young man that is running for the state House of Assembly election (in my state constituency). I met him yesterday and the election is today. Yesterday was just when he came to see me. And I asked the young man, ‘You are coming to see me one day before the election, what magic do you want me to do to help you?’ This is the same complaint of virtually all the stakeholders in all the constituencies of the state.
“You see, politics is not a-one-man-takes-it-all affair. You need every person. I pray that in the new dispensation, we have a party leadership at the national level that would look at what the issues are at the various states and resolve them, and not just listen to one man who talks and confuses everybody with grammar,” Mr Ekere said.
Because of the crisis and several litigations, the APC in Akwa Ibom could not have a governorship candidate days to the 2023 election.
The PDP governorship candidate, Umo Eno won the election, while the Young Progressives Party candidate, Bassey Albert came second. The APC candidate, Akanimo Udofia came third.
Mr Ekere served as a deputy governor when Mr Akpabio was the Akwa Ibom governor. He hurriedly resigned from office in November 2012 to beat a planned impeachment which was masterminded by Mr Akpabio.
Mr Akpabio won the recent senatorial election in the Akwa Ibom North-west District, and is campaigning for the position of the Senate President.
The media aide to Mr Akpabio, Jackson Udom, declined comment on the issues raised by Mr Ekere when PREMIUM TIMES contacted him.
