May 31, (THEWILL) – One of the aspirants in the recently concluded gubernatorial primaries under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform, Prof. Christopher Ekong, has declared his clear stand and unconditional acceptance of the outcome of May, 26 exercise in the state, describing it as credible, well respected and celebrated.
Ekong, who made the declaration while interacting with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, urged party leaders and members not to allow individual goals, greed, hatred, self-centeredness and unforgiving spirit to kill the party in the state.
THEWILL recalls that at the end of the delegates election on May 26, Obong Akanimo Udofia, was declared the winner after polling a total of 1,313 votes even as Prof. Ekong scored 21 votes.
According to Ekong, “recall that as soon as after the conduct and conclusion of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primaries in Akwa Ibom State, I had promptly issued a Press Statement declaring my clear stand and unconditional acceptance of the entire outcome of that well respected and celebrated exercise.
“I did this, first as a frontline contender in the race; but most importantly, as a critical participant in the exercise and whose ultimate interest was to emerge as the most preferred and acceptable choice of our great party.
“My grand desire was expectedly projected to be thrown up as the general expressed goodwill of the majority of the delegates of our great party, to whom I respectfully solicited their popular mandate to fly and indeed, bear the flag of our great party as her prime candidate in the upcoming general elections in 2023.
“Nothing, therefore, could have been more cherished; nothing could have been felt more accomplished than clinching this great and most invaluable goal.
“It should, therefore, be seen as certainly unarguable, that I did not participate in the race to be easily compromised, or at any rate, allow myself or that of my other compatriots in that race, who in the instant represented the finest crop of Akwa Ibom great sons, to either be defrauded, shortchanged in a race to offer the best leadership and governance solution to our beloved state.
The Don noted that at the close of the event, one of the most accomplished sons of Akwa Ibom State emerged and was declared the democratically preferred choice of the delegates at the polls.
“I had acted in the true spirit of sportsmanship, appreciated and as well, accepted the position and decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as being sacrosanct and supreme in the concluded exercise”, he noted.
He frowned at the situation where a segment of the party men and compatriots have so far reflected an unimaginable proportion of needless grievances by electing to voice their perceived rejection of the result and outcome of the exercise which he considered free and considerably fair.
“In a most unremarkable sense, though not entirely too surprising, incidents that have since gained momentum after this epochal exercise, have left us with more than what ought to be desired.
“Sadly, these originate from otherwise, somewhat very respectable politicians and great party men”, he lamented.
He sees the strategy as being designed with a view to discrediting the sincerity of the party to offering Akwa Ibom responsive leadership more adapted to steering the state and her people on a new course when the election must have been concluded in 2023.
“I can boldly, therefore, reveal that the action of some of these respected and not too respected compatriots, in the APC is nothing new. They are deliberately setting it on course, to however, grapple with the destiny of the party; and themselves, remaining some serial political entrepreneurs whose traditional stock-in-trade is to trade the fortunes of the party for their often see through personal and vaulted gains.
“But the times certainly have changed and we perhaps need to see these in the critical light of our political history as a political party in Akwa Ibom State.”
Prof. Ekong described the wins and losses at the polls of the APC in Akwa Ibom State since 2015 as self inflicted, saying that many of the losses were derived from inflexibility of persons who had contested for the rights to the gubernatorial slot of the party with venom that makes them decide that they cannot at any point accept the choice of the party men and women except, when such decisions were taken exclusively in their favour.
He expressed disappointment that it is always those who are well vested with the processes of the Party and have benefitted variously that create the most problems of the party.
“The uncompromising clash of the beneficiary stakeholders had over the years robbed the Party of success at the polls in the State and had totally weakened the Party’s ability to help maintain her teeming members and supporters in the state.
“Our eyes are now open. “Our mumu don do.”
The Don said he went into the governorship race with a clear and committed vision to return Akwa Ibom to her greatness and called on the party delegates to support him just as others did even as they all participated in the race.
He confirmed that Party delegates from all the Local Government Areas in the State were present, as well as the election Panel from the National Party and monitors from INEC were all on ground and well introduced during the event, which took place at No. 6 Ekpo Obot Street, Uyo.
“All the aspirants had the opportunity to woo delegates, which we all did. Delegates voted as they desired and produced their choice and the same was returned by the electoral panel. If there was any contention among voting delegates at the primaries, there would have been protests and even fights by the contending delegates.
“What I rather saw was jubilation and outright acceptance of the process by the voting party delegates.
“Now some salient questions would suffice here: If aspirants are complaining today about the list of delegates, where were those aspirants in the meeting we had the night before the primaries with the Party Leader and the State Party Executive Council?
“If aspirants did not have the delegates list, which delegates were they canvassing and camping? If one of us had done better, we have the duty to support him in order for us to win the Akwa Ibom State general elections for the first time”, he reasoned.
THEWILL reports that some of the protesting aspirants conducted parallel congresses; they had no business to fight for primaries” materials that were not sent by the National Party to their version of the Party.
“I was initially convinced to join in the protestation against Akan Udofia’s late entry into our Party for the governorship race until I went studiously through the Constitution of our party and realised that in line with the powers of the APC as stipulated in Article 31(2) of the APC Constitution (as amended), Akan Udofia applied for and was duly granted a waiver to contest the governorship primary election of the APC, as conveyed by the National Working Committee of the APC (through the National Secretary). The said provision of the party Constitution states thus: “2. WAIVER.
“Subject to the approval of the National Executive Committee, the National Working Committee may in special circumstances grant a waiver to a person not otherwise qualified under Article 31(1) of this Constitution if, in its opinion, such a waiver is in the best interest of the Party.”
“Obong Akan Udofia had been declared winner of the APC governorship primaries” in Akwa Ibom State. I had since accepted the result as declared by the Party. I want to use this opportunity to call on all other aspirants in the race to sheathe their swords and open the doors for reconciliation and healing to support and work with the flag bearer, Obong Akan Udofia, to win the governorship elections come 2023.
“The clearest opportunity open to APC to win the elections in AKS is now. So every obstacle on our road and quest to realise this must be avoided. We must accept the choice of the people and that of the party as a sacrosanct mandate that should be allowed to rule the day”, the Don concluded.
