Protest Trails Election as Akan Udofia Emerges A’Ibom APC Guber Candidate

Okon  Bassey in Uyo

Businessman and philanthropist, Mr. Akanimo Udofia, has emerged as the governorship flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom for the 2023 general elections.

Udofia secured a total of 1,227 votes out of 1,313 votes from delegates to beat eight other aspirants including Senator Ita Enang who scored 34 votes and a university don, Prof. Chris Ekong with 21 votes.

Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Governorship Nomination Committee, Mr. Omabatunde Ajibola who announced the results yesterday, said other aspirants including Mr. Uduak Udo scored 7, Akpan Udoedehe (2), Richard Anana (2), Larry Esin (1) and Austin Utuk( 0) with 19 votes declared void.

This is as protest erupted yesterday over the election of Udofia as the governorship candidate of the APC in Akwa Ibom for the 2023 general elections.

The immediate past Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari, on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang led other aspirants in the protest rejecting Obong Udofia as the winner of the gubernatorial primary of the party held in Uyo.

Accepting his nomination as the APC gubernatorial candidate in the state, Udofia lauded the delegates for their resilience and conduct despite challenges and intimidations from undemocratic elements in the party.

He promised to unite and accommodate all stakeholders and aggrieved members of the party calling for greater unity and increased commitment to enable the party triumph in next year’s gubernatorial and general elections.

“I thank God with the way you conducted yourselves. Most especially party faithfuls who despite all challenges, intimidations from undemocratic forces, because the way certain people behaved today was certainly not anyway tenable in the life of an Akwa Ibom person. Akwa Ibom is a peaceful state and our people do not stand for anything not peaceful.

“I want to say that this is the beginning of a revolution. The Akwa Ibom APC have spoken very loud, you have indicated that true change will come to Akwa Ibom State come 2023. 

“You have agreed that we are going to use our great party, the APC to institutionalise the dividends of democracy and it must cascade down to the last ward, to the last corner.

“We are going to build a greater Akwa Ibom State. It is going to be an enormous task but when I look at the resilience of each and everyone of you party faithful, I know you are ready to join hands with me and together we are going to make Akwa Ibom a greater and better state,” he assured.

He praised the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, for his efforts at building the party and called for support for his presidential ambition.

“You also know our great son Senator Godswill Akpabio is running for the Presidency and just as you have done it for me today, I will encourage all national delegates of our party to do same for him. The Akwa Ibom spirit is on the rise and I am calling on you to support our great son.

“Once again, party faithfuls, prosperity is coming to Akwa Ibom and to Nigeria through me and Senator Akpabio. I stand on your mandate and assure you all that come February 2023 with your support and commitment APC will take over this state,” Udofia said.

The state chairman of the party, Mr. Stephen Ntukekpo, had earlier thanked delegates for their patience and commitment towards the progress and unity of the party.

Ntukekpo who commended the electoral committee for sticking to the constitution of the party tasked stakeholders to eschew selfish interests and work towards strengthening the party in order to enable it triumph in next year’s general elections. 

It was gathered  that the primaries dragged into the early hours of Friday following delays caused by an alleged attempt by one of the aspirants to hijack and divert election materials meant for the primary election.

The aspirant reportedly attempted to hijack the materials from the state gubernatorial national electoral committee members on their way from the Victor Attach International Airport to the party Secretariat, venue of the primary election.

Eyewitness said the attempt was foiled by a detachment of the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS) after almost four hours of standoff between supporters of the aspirants and security agencies along Oron Road, Uyo.

At a press conference shortly after the declaration of Udofia as the winner of APC gubernatorial primaries in the state, Senator Enang argued that the outcome of the exercise was not in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. 

Enang said the alleged winner of the primary is not a member of APC in his ward, stressing that the exercise was heavily stage-managed to have a predetermined outcome in favour of the winner.

According to him, all the aggrieved aspirants have petitioned  the National Executive Council (NEC) of the APC, with a view to averting the crises which could lead the party not having a governorship candidate as was the case in Zamfara and Rivers states in 2019 .

He said the purported winner of APC primaries was on the ballot paper of PDP governorship primaries conducted at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium and wondered how he sauntered into the venue of APC primaries and later emerged the winner .

He insisted that such irregularities and broad day robbery can dim the chances of  APC in 2023. 

“The name Akan Udofia, was a PDP member and governorship aspirants and had never defected and was given the ticket at a primary that was not monitored and supervised by INEC and security agencies.

“By God’s grace, we all filed out, praying and wishing that one of us shall emerge in a duly conducted process. Unfortunately, that dream for a peaceful and orderly conduct did not happen,” Enang lamented. 

He queried the process by which the acclaimed winner of the primaries emerged in the state 

“The guidelines for the conduct of the primaries in the APC stipulates that aspirants should be furnished with delegates list. The party did not make this important document available to us. 

“Only one aspirant was supplied the delegate lists in the state, thus hedging the entire process in his favour,” he added.  

Enang alleged that while party delegates and supporters were already at the venue of the primary, delegate tags were being issued at the country home of Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio in Ukana,  Essien Udim Local Government Area of the state.

He equally added that accreditation of delegates was not supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as required by law. 

According to him, irregularities for the conduct of the APC primaries were perfected from the Akwa Ibom Airport where the officials were ambushed by paid thugs. 

He said, “The pandemonium lasted for over four hours before the team chaired by Omoba Tunde Ajibulu, with Ms Evelyn Okere as Secretary, were rescued by officials of the Department of State Services.” 

He therefore urged the national leadership of the APC and other stakeholders to explore a possible window to address the problem to avoid the experience of 2019 in Zamfara and Rivers states.