The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Akwa Ibom State, over time, has been enmeshed in inside disaster which has affected its probabilities of occupying the hilltop mansion and different elective places of work within the state. However, the chairman, media and publicity of the celebration, Otuekong Iniobong John, on this interview with DAILY POST, expressed optimism that the celebration will come out stronger and take over the state. Excerpts!
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has suffered quite a lot of setbacks in Akwa Ibom due to inside wranglings, are there steps being taken to tackle the problems?
You know that politics is a recreation of negotiation, alignment and realignment. There is certain to be battle, misunderstanding, fights and disaster. But the underside line is the decision of the battle. It shouldn’t be unusual to expertise all these in any political celebration, however each affordable celebration ought to from time to time arrange a equipment to reconcile aggrieved members again to the celebration.
On our half, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, throughout APC stakeholders’ assembly within the Uyo Senatorial district on Thursday final week directed {that a} reconciliation committee must be arrange to tackle a few of the points rocking the celebration within the state. I consider that the chairman of our celebration, Obong Stephen Ntukekpo, is working in the direction of that.
We will be certain that anyone that’s reconcilable could be reconciled again; those that have the curiosity of the celebration would absolutely specific their grievances and I’m assured that the problems that can be raised shall be addressed. I consider there may be gentle on the finish of the tunnel; APC in Akwa Ibom will come out higher, stronger on the finish of the train. We will take over the state.
One of the contending points is who could be the chief of the celebration within the state, has that been addressed?
This is a really obtrusive case, the chief of a political celebration in a state is at all times the governor of that state; in a scenario the place the celebration doesn’t have a governor, the very best rating political workplace holder from that state within the celebration would be the chief. As of now, APC doesn’t have a governor in Akwa Ibom and the very best rating political workplace holder is Senator Godswill Akpabio, who’s the quantity three citizen within the nation. Not simply that, Akpabio is the one one that has been a governor within the celebration, I imply on the state stage, so it’s undisputed that no different individual would come up now to battle that place with him.
Governor Umo Eno, on December 6, 2023, arrange a transition committee for native authorities administration, are you happy with that?
The concept of instituting a transition committee to run the affairs of native authorities councils is a breach of the structure. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended says that there shall be elected native authorities council to run the affairs of native authorities administration nationwide, so there was no provision for unelected native authorities officers wherever and to that extent one can safely conclude that the contraption known as native authorities transition committee is unusual to the structure after which it’s argued that something that’s in battle with the provisions of the structure is null and void to the extent of the inconsistency.
It is an aberration, a contraption and unknown to the structure, so our celebration being a believer in due course of and within the structure, we don’t consider in that course of.
All issues being equal, AKISIEC following the directives of Gov Umo Eno would conduct LG elections by June, 2024, how ready is APC to seize no less than just a few native authorities areas within the state?
Well, you realize that nationwide, native authorities administration is understood to be unique enterprise of the celebration in energy in that state as a result of the state electoral fee is created to serve the curiosity of the celebration in energy. So you’ll agree with me that it’s at all times in very uncommon circumstances that you will notice an opposition celebration defeating the celebration in energy in a neighborhood authorities election that’s performed by the electoral fee arrange to serve the curiosity of the celebration in energy.
The Young Progressives Party, YPP, over the weekend collapsed its construction into APC and two of YPP candidates can be having a rerun subsequent month; is APC working in the direction of supporting these candidates?
Well, the candidates involved- one from Ibiono Ibom State constituency and the Ikono/Ini federal constituency are nonetheless the candidates of the Young Progressives Party, YPP, they’ve not defected to APC but, so they’re squarely going through their elections and never a matter of APC. The undeniable fact that their chief defected to the APC doesn’t imply that each one of them at the moment are in APC; nevertheless, it’s believed that in the end, they may be a part of their grasp to our celebration, APC.
