There is No Faction in Akwa Ibom State PDP

The Publicity Secretariat of the Party has received several enquiries from different persons and groups bothering on whether or not, there is in existence a faction in the Peoples’ Democratic Party AkwaIbom state.

It is therefore in response to those enquiries that we are notifying the entire public that there is no faction in PDP Akwa Ibom State, the UMBRELLA REMAINS STRONG AND UNTORN. There was no parallel congress at the ward, chapter or state levels anywhere in Akwa Ibom state. There has not also been any known contention resulting from the congresses at the wards, chapter and state levels, except those which were sufficiently handled by the Appeal Committee of the party duly set up by the National Executive Committee of the Party.

We have read on the pages of newspapers some persons claiming that the party did not adhere to the zoning principle in the choice of her State Chairman- this claim is most laughable and totally unsubstantiated. Before the 2015 general elections, the State Caucus of the Party met and agreed on a zoning formula where the following offices were zoned as follows:

• Governor Eket Senatorial District
• Deputy Governorship Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District
• Speaker Uyo Senatorial District
• Party Chairman Uyo Senatorial District

It is manifest to all observers that our party has religiously adhered to the zoning as enumerated above, I challenge anybody with a contrary position to produce evidence of any other zoning agreement, stating where the agreement was made, who were those in attendance etc.

On the other hand, assuming but not conceding that there was such an agreement that the State Chairman of the Party should be zoned to Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, would it have been zoned to the same Federal Constituency where the Deputy Governor comes from?

We know that there two types of problems, actual and imaginary- those who say that there is a faction in Akwa Ibom PDP are living in abstraction, seeing only the imaginary as real; to them, we sincerely sympathize and welcome them back to reality- a united Peoples’ Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State under the Chairmanship of Obong Paul Ekpo. To further confirm the unity of the party, the Akwa Ibom state contingent to the National Convention which was held at the Sharks Stadium, Port Harcourt comprised of all 329 ward chairmen, statutory chapter officers, all State Officers, 31 National Delegates, National and State Assemblymen, NEC and BOT Members. The presence and pivotal roles of our Governor, HE, Mr Udom Emmanuel and the Senate Minority Leader, HE, Senator Godswill Akpabio were obvious and palpable.

We urge all party supporters to remain resolute and unflinching in their loyalty to the noble ideals and aims which our party unambiguously represents and the people centered government of Mr. Udom Emmanuel espouses.