Isaiah Eka/Frank Shedrack/Christian Ogbonna
Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom said they have buried their differences and would accommodate their various interests in the party’s Saturday ward congress in the state.
Sen. Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly (Senate), disclosed this to newsmen at the party secretariat on Saturday, after about 18 hours meeting with the stakeholders.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that leaders at the briefing included Chief Don Etiebet, Sen. James Akpanudoedehe, Mr Nsima Ekere, Mr Umana Okon Umana and Sen. Aloysius Etok.
Others were former military governor of Ogun, Group Capt. Sam Enwang (rtd), Sen. Nelson Effiong, currently representing Akwa Ibom South in the Senate and Mr. Ben Ukpong, Chairman National Population Commission.
Enang said the meeting was to ensure that all interest groups were addressed and taken care of to ensure a hitch-free congress.
“I’m in charge of coordinating the ward, local government chapter and state congresses in Akwa Ibom as an adviser to the president.
“I had to coordinate and anchor peace among the contending interests to ensure that we go into the ward congresses as one united family.
“The different interests have stated what they want and how they want it, and after painstaking discussions and negotiations, we have agreed on the modalities to conduct the ward congresses.
“This is to accommodate interests of all the party and carry the party along.
“After about 18 to 24 hours of negotiation we are able to arrive at very solid peace and at the end of the day.
“We called the congress committee and addressed them and that is the idea of accommodation, peace and togetherness.
“So, we don’t have problems. That is how the matter in Akwa Ibom State has been resolved.
“We have also agreed that the main intention of the party is to elect men in each ward and each local government area that will be able to campaign and win elections,” Enang said.
He said that everybody decided to bury their individual interests and differences to ensure that the party won.
NAN reports that it was a herculean task entering the party secretariat along Atiku Abubakar Way in Uyo as security operatives manhandled party supporters and brutalised the NAN correspondent at the venue.
Chief Timipre Sylva, the leader of the APC in Bayelsa, has described the conduct of the party’s Saturday ward congress in the state as “smooth and peaceful.”
Sylva told journalists in Yenagoa on Saturday that the party, by the peaceful conduct of the exercise, had shown its commitment to promoting democracy in the state.
“The ward congress is orderly and peaceful; here in Bayelsa, we will continue to work hard to bring APC to power.
“We have put our house in order to ensure that APC wins in the next governorship election.
“Today is the ward congress and this is lawful according to the party constitution and I urge all well- meaning people of Bayelsa to support the APC for the change they can see,” he said.
The former governor said that as one big family, the APC in the state had been able to resolve its differences amicably, hence the peaceful atmosphere experienced during the ward congresses.
Dr Adebayo Dawuda, leader of the five-man team for the congress in the state, urged all aggrieved members to forget their grievances and work toward moving the party forward.
“We know in the political arena, there are always disagreements; our party is like a family and we must continue to work for the interest of the nation and our party.
“On the conduct of the congress, I am delightful over the exercise because we have seen fairness and equity in the conduct,” Dawuda said.
He commended the party faithful in the state for exhibiting brotherhood and compromise during the exercise.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in the polling units monitored in Yenagoa and Ogbia Local Government Areas, the delegates turn up early for the exercise and the exercise was peaceful.
At Yenaga, Wards 2 and 3 and 5, voting materials and the delegates arrived early and the congress was orderly.
In ward 13, Otuabula 1 and 2 in Ogbia, the congress officials and delegates were also early.
The Police Command in Delta has confirmed that a chairmanship candidate died in the All Progressives Congress ward congresses in Ughelli South Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
The command’s spokesman, Mr Andrew Aniamaka, said Mr Jeremiah Oghoveta, was stabbed to death during the exercise at Jeremi Ward 3, Okwagbe.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the deceased was stabbed to death by one Tete Pippah.
Pippah was said to have attacked Ogheveta during an argument that ensured when the deceased accused him of hijacking the electoral materials meant for the congresses in the area.
It was further learnt that the deceased and the alleged assailant belonged to different factions of the party in the area.
Also, there were reported cases of ballot-box snatching during the exercise at Ogor and Orogun Wards 1 and 2 in respectively Ughelli North LGA.
It was reliably gathered that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were not present for the exercise in Ward 5, Ovu in Ethiope LGA.
Authoritative sources told NAN that the leaders of the ward decided to conduct the election for the candidates, using Option A4 after waiting in vain for the INEC officials.
One of the three contestants for the chairmanship reportedly stepped down, leaving the contest for the other two candidates.
Reacting to the protest that greeted the outcome of the exercise, a former labour leader who is from the area, Chief Frank Kokori, told newsmen that the issue would be resolved amicably.
Acccording to him, the contestants are “brothers.”
Another chieftain of the party in the state, Chief O’tega Emerhor, described the exercise at Evwreni Ward 8, Ughelli North LGA, as peaceful.
According to him, APC is poised to entrench the principle of internal democracy in order to have a stronger party that can take over the state in 2019.
“Based on the reports that I have got concerning the exercise, things went on smoothly and peacefully,” he said.
