Next week, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will close the window for the replacement of candidates. The 22 aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirants in Akwa Ibom State are hopeful that, as they return to the court today, victory will come their way, writes OLUKOREDE YISHAU
Udom Emmanuel, former Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government (SSG), passes through the fire again today. The case instituted against his emergence as the Akwa Ibom Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate by one of the 22 aggrieved governorship aspirants, Ime Effiong Ekanem, comes up today before Justice Y. Halilu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The suit has the support of all the aggrieved aspirants.
Justice Halilu mid-last month ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise Emmanuel as the PDP governorship candidate for Akwa Ibom State. The former SSG thereafter got a vacation judge to lift the order.
Since the case was instituted, Governor Godswill Akpabio has tried to rein in the aggrieved, but they say his efforts are not sincere. The G-22, as the aggrieved aspirants are known, include two men who were Akpabio’s deputy, Patrick Ekpotu and Nsima Ekere. They were invited for a meeting in Uyo yesterday. But, last Friday they made it clear they would not be party to such a meeting. The aspirants noted that it was wrong for them to appear before an amorphous reconciliation committee while their complaints were still pending before a duly recognised appeal panel of PDP.
The reconciliation committee, headed by Senator Effiong Bob, in a one-page advertorial, published on Friday invited the 22 aspirants to a peace meeting in Uyo on Sunday.
The first paragraph of the invitation letter read:” The above Committee was constituted by the state Caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday December 28, 2014 with the aim of meeting with all the Governorship Aspirants who were not successful in the last Governorship Primary Election held on December 8, 2014 with a view to harmoniously reconciling issues arising from the election.”
The reconciliatory meeting failed to achieve its aim as members of the group, individually and collectively refused to meet with Bob and his committee, giving various reasons among which was that Bob was a biased umpire. They also feel the wordings of the invitation letter gave the impression that the committee had already taken a position by referring to the 22 aspirants as those who were “not successful in the last governorship primary election”.
According to a member of the group, who would not want to be named, “Senator Effiong Bob is part of the problem, so, it would be inappropriate for him to chair a committee that would address the discord. He was in Rt. Hon. Okpolupm Etteh’s camp, and then jumped to Ime Albert’s camp before he finally joined forces with both the governor and his anointed.”
The aspirant added: “In fact, after the contentious primary, Senator Bob addressed several media interviews where he defended the exercise as credible free and fair. With such mindset what kind of resolution do you expect from such an individual? He goes about with the governor and Udom. He actually accompanied both of them to the meeting we had with the governor were they pleaded that we accept the outcome of the controversial and vexatious primary. Sincerely, we wouldn’t have been part of such a cosmetic meeting with a possible predetermined objective, so we individually turned him down when he called to invite us. See, we don’t have parochial agenda; our struggle for justice is solely for the overall interest and success of our dear party, PDP. And everybody who truly loves PDP should stand by us to see that the will of the people is not subverted.”
The G-22, in a statement, spelt out their case against the Bob committee.
The statement reads: “We take great exception to the contemptuous display of continuous impunity in the issue of PDP governorship primary election of December 8, 2014 in Akwa Ibom State. Our arraignment before the purported Central Reconciliation Committee negates the provisions of PDP constitution and guidelines, concerning the governorship primary election.
“It is instructive to inform all that on December 9, 2014, in accordance with paragraph 20(g and I) of the PDP Electoral Guidelines for Primary Election, we have individually filed our complaints against the flawed electoral processes of December 8, 2014 with the stipulated appeal panel, the Gubernatorial Electoral Appeal Panel, consisting of all members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and headed by the National Chairman. This we clearly did within 24 hours demanded of us by paragraph 20(h) of the guidelines.
“In the above circumstances, it is very preposterous to be summoned to appear before a panel of our traducers. It is on record that the members of the so called Central Reconciliation Committee were active participants and accessories before, during and after the illegalities surrounding the flawed primary election we have complained about. We can therefore not make ourselves available to be used to regularise a flawed process and achieve a conclusion we already know.”
Before the attempt by the Bob committee, there was another meeting in the G-22’s secretariat in Abuja which lasted till the wee hours of Saturday, December 20. The meeting, a source said, was almost deadlocked from the beginning. A shouting match, said a source at the meeting, ensued between one of the aspirants, Chief Assam Assam (SAN) and the governor. There was palpable apprehension at the meeting, according to one the aspirants who would not want to be named, as a result of the fracas between Akpabio and Assam, who was Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
The governor pleaded with them to accept Emmanuel as the governorship candidate of the PDP, a position that was outrightly rejected by the group on the basis that “the process that threw him up was faulty, not transparent and toxic. The December 8 exercise was everything but democratic and this has resulted in several litigations which ought not to be had the process passed credibility test”. They insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan must be involved in any effort to resolve the impasse.
As a result of the impasse, uncertainty has enveloped the polity. The topic of discourse at many public places centered on the coming elections, especially the governorship election in the state. Many openly expressed their displeasure over what they regard as the “arrogance and impunity” of some highly-placed political office holders in the state, who they accused of being behind the unhealthy political climate in Akwa Ibom State few weeks to next month’s election.
The concern by many is that unless the ruling PDP puts its house in order, it would most likely be throwing away the chances to retain the governorship seat it has held for 16 years. The PDP’s prospect of losing its hold in the state becomes more worrisome to its supporters, according to followers of political developments in the state due to the obvious ground it is losing, especially after a series of events that took place shortly before, and also after the party’s primary election.
First, it was one of the front role governorship aspirants and former Secretary to the State Government, Umana Umana, who left the party to join forces with the rival All Progressive Congress (APC), where he is now a governorship candidate, in a straight contest with his former party, PDP, come February. And many believe that should PDP not resolve the discord that arose from the December 8, 2014 primary, the tide might flow in favour of the APC as not a few PDP faithful have vowed to vote against their party.
Few days ago, the media was awash with a report that the group had agreed to meet with the presidential candidate of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari , with a view to defecting, the group however, swiftly denied the allegation, describing the insinuation as a blackmail. Though they denied planning such a meeting, they said it was an option “that would not be thrown away in a hurry”.
In a jointly signed statement released on Tuesday, December 23, last year, in Abuja, the 22 aspirants reiterated that their only request from the PDP leadership was for the party to redeem its credibility by nullifying the outcome of the December 8 exercise in the state, which they described as “ fraudulent, not transparent and a violation of the party’s rule on accreditation of delegates”.
The aspirants vowed not to be “blackmailed or intimidated into jettisoning our legitimate quest for fair play, equity and justice in a democratic setting that ought to be rooted in fundamental human rights to fair hearing.”
They went further to state “that while having meetings with any individual or interest group is within our legitimate rights, and something that would not be thrown away in a hurry, we as faithful members of the PDP remain hopeful that the party will show leadership and responsibility in ensuring that grievances of its members are always expeditiously addressed and policy of inclusiveness pursued in the overall interest of the party, essentially in an election period like this”.
To Akpabio, the process which produced Udom was transparent. He congratulated the Chairman of the Electoral Panel of PDP, Mr. Bola Ayebowale, and members of the PDP for a successful conduct of the primaries, adding that Emmanuel’s victory was assured.
The governor said more than 99 per cent of PDP faithful came out to vote, stressing that the state would do the same by giving Jonathan their full support in 2015. Akpabio added that the transparency of the election was an indication that peace thrives in the state.
Speaking after the primary, Emmanuel said the people have ushered him into the next level, thanking Akpabio and the people for coming out en-mass to support him. He lauded the PDP for the peaceful conduct of the primary.
Oyebowale also said the process was transparent, explaining that PDP believes in a level-playing ground for all aspirants.
To the aspirants, Oyebowale, Akpabio and Emmanuel can tell that to the marines. Feelers from party indicate the President and some individuals in the top echelon of the PDP leadership are showing interest in finding a way around the crisis, because whatever affects the party in the states will obviously underline the prospect of the president.
But, as the January 16 window for substitution of candidates submitted to the INEC draws to a close, it is yet to be known if the PDP will explore it. It is also not clear what the court will decide. For now, it is Emmanuel in Akwa Ibom.
