Plea For A Transparent Ward Before It Is Too Late

We firstly want to congratulate you on your election as National Chairman of our Party and thank you for the reassurance that the restoration of internal democracy in the party will be your watchword.

We, as concerned members of the People?s Democratic Party Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, hereby write to inform you that at no time during the March 2012 party congresses in the Country were Wards and State Congresses held in Akwa Ibom State in conformity with the Party?s Constitution.

S. 15 of the People?s Democratic Party?s Constitution provides for the establishment and composition of a Wad Congress made up of ALL the registered members of the ward, whereat ward delegates to the State?s Party Congress will be elected, amongst other functions. What transpired was a complete travesty of all Constitutional procedures. His Excellency, Governor Godswill Akpabio simply appointed Local Government Coordinators to write names that were submitted to his younger brother Mr. Emem Akpabio in whose house the entire list of delegates was compiled NO CONVRESSES HELD IN ANY LOCATION OR WARDS IN AKWA IBOM STATE AS PROVIDED FOR BY THE CONSSTUTION OF THE PEOPLE?S DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

S. 25 of the PDP?s Constitution provides for the establishment and composition of the State?s Congress whereat the members of the State Executive Committee of the party would be elected. All over the country, that exercise took place on the 17^th?March 2012 except in Akwa Ibom State. Even those whose names were compiled by Emem Akpabio were not given the opportunity of attending a State Congress however contrived, but?on Tuesday?the 20^th?of March 2012, His Excellency, Governor Akpabio announced the composition of a new State Executive Committee for the party made up of his Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Mr. Paul Ekpo as Chairman, another younger brother of the Governor, Mr. Ibanga Akpabio as Secretary. It may interest you to note that this Paul Ekpo sat in the State Executive Committee meeting as Commissioner?on Wednesday?the 14^th?March 2012 and only surreptitiously delivered a resignation letter to Gov. Akpabio to fulfill all righteousness, but forget to refuse the salaries for the month of March 2012.

The Governor?s personal appointment of various persons to the State Executive Committee of the party without holding of ward and state congresses has not only totally disenfranchised party members and the leadership of the party in the state. It has created great tension, as would be imagined. Senior members of the party have become completely lethargic and the impression now created is that the party is Akpabio?s property to do was he wishes.

We believe that the Party does not need to allow this issue to fester into an unimaginable disharmony amongst the membership of the party in the state thereby giving them the fait accompli to look elsewhere. For how can the Governor explain that Congresses at Ward and state levels were held and the party?s leaders in the state were not even aware. Notable amongst the leaders,

1.????HE, Obong Victor Attah, immediate past Governor of the State, member of BOT and founding member of the Party

2.????Atuekong Don Etiebet, member of BOT and founding member of the Party

3.????Obong Ufot Ekaette, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and leading member of the Party

4.????Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, ranking Senator and leading member of the Party

5.????Senator (Chief) Itak Bob Ekarika, founding member of the party and former Senator representing the Governor?s Senatorial District

6.????Senator Effiong Dickson Bob, Senator and leading member of the party

7.????Sen. Eme Ekaette, Senator and leading member of the party

8.????Obong Chris Ekpenyong, former deputy governor

9.????Engr.. Patrick Ekpotu, former deputy governor

10.?Ambassador Assam E. Assam, SAN who was the State?s Attorney General at the time the Congresses were said to be held

11.?Obong Umana O. Umana, who was Secretary to Government at the time

12.?Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, Hon. Tony Esu, Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Hon. Patty Ettete, Hon. Ikwo Inyang-Minimah, all, former members of the House of Representatives and statutory delegates to both congresses

13.?General Edet A. Akpan, otuekong Sunny Jackson Udoh, Senator Etang Edet Umoyo, Obong Inibeghe Okorie, State Party leaders

14.?Effiong Nelson, and Barrister Bassey Essien former Speakers of the State House of Assembly, Chief Okon Osung, Chief jerry Okpo, Dr. Etido Ibekwe and other party leaders and Statutory Congress members;

Have each attested to the fact that Congresses of the party were not held as stipulated by the Party?s Constitution not at all. But even without complaint of the State?s party leaders and members, we want you to imagine for one moment, what a man who admitted to the world how he cancelled the name of a successful candidate at the party?s senatorial nomination and inserted his preferred candidate could do in the name of the party?s ward and other congresses in a state where he has assumed the position of God Almighty and constantly compares himself to Jesus Christ. No reasonable member of the party attends any state functions any more, in obvious protest against the management and leadership of Governor Akpabio.

We decided against this issue earlier because we did not want to be seen or blackmailed as trying to stifle the Party?s National Convention which was to be held to fill certain vacancies and address very vital issues of the party at the centre. Therefore, of course, was the internal leadership issues which needed to be settled before a serious consideration could be given to other sectors of the party?s structure.

We believe it is time to now call your attention to this most delicate and important issue and ot plead that the party sets up a machinery to conduct transparent ward and state congresses in Akwa Ibom State in order to restore peace and reduce the tension that could implode the party in the state. This is our party, we have no other but we cannot take the owner for granted.

We have chosen this process believing that the party?s leadership is honestly poised to correct the ills of the past and is determined to enthrone internal democracy within the party, the disillusionment within the party is unimaginable.

We your Loyal party members who have endorsed this petition, asking at least for an inquiry and speaking the minds of thousands of our party?s members are?