APC LG congress hitch-free in Akwa Ibom, says chairman

The All Progressives Congress (APC), Akwa Ibom State chapter held its congress without reported skirmishes as was the case in the ward congress of July 31, in which opposing faction led by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godswill Akpabio, rejected the outcome.

However, the elected ward leaders across the 329 wards were inaugurated over the weekend following affirmation by the national leadership of the party and the court.

The exercise held on Saturday across the 31 Local Government Areas, was gathered to be hitch-free as no cases of complaints were noted during the monitoring process in Essien Udim, Abak, Ika, Ikot Ekpene and other areas known to be the opposition’s strong base.

Speaking to journalists, the state’s caretaker Chairman of APC, Dr. Ita Udosen, gave a pass mark to the conduct of the polls, adding that efforts were strongly made to ensure the exercise was in line with the expected best practices as enshrined in the guidelines.

“Everything is orderly and peaceful; we just left Essien Udim, Ika, Abak and Nsit Ibom. Our other team in Eket Senatorial District have also given us good report of the peaceful conduct of the congress.

“We are being accompanied by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and those sent to supervise the exercise from Abuja, and so far, everything is going on well”, Udosen said.

In the same vein, the state Publicity Secretary, Mr. Nkereuwem Enyongekere, explained that the exercise would be transparent and rancour-free because of the option A-4 method agreed by stakeholders for the polls.

Efforts to speak with some elders and stakeholders loyal to Akpabio, including Group Capt. Sam Ewang, member of the Board of Trustee (BoT) and core Akpabio loyalist as well as the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, were fruitless as they could not pick calls to their phones.

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