By Emmanuel Nicholas
There are certain lies that are afraid of the liar. In fact, some lies will shock the devil. It is like death being afraid of dying and Hell being afraid of going to hell. The lies told by the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) about their wide-spread influence, structure and general acceptance is not only fictitious, fallacious but pure phantom lies that even makes lies to be afraid of the liars (APC).
It is true that the APC in Akwa Ibom State went into the last general election with a divided house, as Senator John Akpan Udoedehe who had nourished the fundamental structure of the Party in the State over time is at war with Umana Okon Umana over the fraudulent conduct of party primaries.
The Umana Okon Umana faction of the APC are singing songs of popularity to all who care to listen that their Party is more popular than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State.
I know they don't care when they tell these lies without conscience, without even considering that leaders who intend to lead the masses should not be seen by the public as people with questionable character. Even a child of five years in Akwa Ibom State knows that the APC structure is built around the erstwhile Gubernatorial Aspirant of the Party, Mr Udoedehe, who told his supporters who came to receive him at the Ibom International Airport that Umana Okon Umana bribed the party hierarchy with billions of naira to get the ticket of the Party. He said ‘’I blame Senator Akpabio who gave Umana free hands to steal and embezzled hundreds of billions of Akwa Ibom people money, that is why he gives it away without a second thought because it was ill-gotten wealth".
The internal crises rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State have escalated as two factions are in a war of supremacy as to who controls the party. The drums of disunity increased its intensity, Wednesday as exco members of the party loyal to the leader of the party and Senator John Akpanuoedehe issued a press release to announce a formal reception for Udoedeghe.
The release was aired on television, radio, the print and online media drew the anger of the faction loyal to the 2015 APC failed gubernatorial candidate, Obong Umana Umana who immediately issued a fresh release calling on their members to boycott Udoedeghe's reception.
On tuesday, the first jingle was aired on planet radio that party faithful should come out enmass and give their leader, Senator John Akpan Udoedehe a resounding welcome both at the airport and at a formal reception. 24 hours later, the publicity secretary of party, Mr Ita Awak also issued a press release asking members of the Party to stay away from the reception of Senator Udoedehe as the party has not sanctioned such a reception.
Few hours later, Mr Samuel Udobong also addressed as publicity secretary of the APC accused Ita Awak of being an impostor. Mr Samuel urged the members of the Party to arrive Akwa Ibom International Airport by 8am on Thursday to receive the leader of the Party in Akwa Ibom State , who he said is Senator Udoedehe . What a complicated confusion? And my question is between Umana and Udoedehe who is the leader of the Party in Akwa Ibom State? Oh APC is cracking as a broken record on turntable.
Mr Samuel also said on radio that Obong Umana Okon Umana is suffering from his sins, " Umana used ill-gotten wealth to buy the Party ticket , in his words he said ‘’ Umana will continue to suffer the pains of bribing his way through, he can never be the Governor of Akwa Ibom State" he stank. "Mr Udoedehe developed APC in the State and Umana feels he can use his loot and take over the party structure, it won't work. His failure has just on-going" He added.
He concluded by urging all members of the APC to discard the caveats of Umana's factional publicity secretary, Mr Ita Awak whom he tagged an impostor.
Senator John Udoedehe upon his return on Thursday told his supporters that there will not be any re-run in Akwa Ibom State between Umana Okon Umana and Governor Udom Emmanuel as he is the true owner of the APC ticket whom Umana stole .
Udoedehe said umana bribed the national body of the APC with billions of naira to get the Party ticket, that the same people have rejected him now, Mr President knows that Mr Umana Okon Umana is a very corrupt public official, that his source of wealth is questionable and that is why both President Mohammadu Buhari and the party hierarchy have distanced themselves from his litigations.
He vowed to reclaim his Party’s ticket through the Court. He says Umana Okon Umana was not a member of APC for up to 30 days, as the electoral Law stipulates and therefore the Court will not hesitate in grainting his prayers to declare the fraudulent nomination exercise that declared Umana winner invalid .
Senator Udoedehe confirmed that the next Court session will take place on 13th of November 2015; Udoedehe also lambasted Obong Attah for playing the devil's advocate, that as a leader who he is, he should not summit to public ridicule by openly supporting Umana Okon Umana whom he told him some years back that he was a very big traitor.
The Defeated All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate for Akwa Ibom State, Obong Umana Okon Umana has raised alarm of being abandoned by President Buhari. Umana reportedly made this known to a reclusive group of Ibibio Elders, including a former governor of the state expressing dissatisfaction with the new-found closeness of Governor Udom Emmanuel with President Buhari.
A very reliable source and aide of Obong Umana who spoke to our source on condition of anonymity revealed that, Umana cited the recent selection of Governor Emmanuel by the President among those to probe the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and the trip to Cameroun complaining that, the relationship between the duo was getting more chummy by the day.
Reminded that, Udom made the Cameroun trip based on the fact that, Akwa Ibom shares borders with Cameroun, Umana rejected the consolation insisting that, there is something more than meets the eyes going on between Mr President and Udom.
The embattled Umana , who also lamented the crisis rocking his party APC in the state following the supremacy battle with Senator. John Udoedehe begged the few Ibibio elders sympathetic to him to reach out to President Buhari, who he said, is not giving him unhindered access to him(president), or asking to know about how he is carrying on with the litigation process.
On why the meeting was not made public like the recent meeting with some members of APC from Oro nation with Umana, our source said, Umana did not want it to appear as though he is openly fighting the President or that there is a brewing cold war with National leaders of the party.
Some months back Umana Okon Umana was in Lagos to beg the National Leader of the party Ahmed Bola Tinubu to prevail on President Buhari who has rejected him on the grounds that he is very corrupt, compared to incumbent Governor Mr Udom Emmanuel whom the President holds in very high esteem over his integrity and incorruptible tendencies. And this was reported by Ibommobile , an online media platform and local dailies.
It was reported that Former Governor of Lagos State told Umana Okon Umana that his case is a very bad one, that the briefing he received from the Party’s legal adviser Mr Muiz Banire SAN rattled his hope over his Success at Tribunal.
Though Umana Okon Umana has already conceded defeat to Governor Udom Emmanuel , the failed Akwa Ibom Governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the April 11 elections, told his supporters that the recent judgement of the election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja is not favourable to his Party. Umana made the assertion while addressing his few supporters who gathered at the Nsima Ekere Campaign grounds along Edet Akpan Avenue in the state capital to receive him said that victory in the 18 local government areas where the tribunal has ordered a re-run is not sufficient to make him Governor. The APC guber candidate appealed to the APC faithful to remain calm and continue in prayers that their case in the court of appeal is ruled in their favour. “The judgement of the tribunal in Abuja is good. However, that judgement does not guarantee us victory. That is why we have appealed so that the elections can be cancelled completely.
We are in the court of appeal and our prayers are for a total cancellation of the entire election. I solicit your prayers and supplication to God to see us through” Umana said. A chieftain of the APC in the state, Otuekeong Sunny Jackson charged the party faithful not to be carried away by the order for re-run in 18 local government areas of the state. He urged the people to get back to their units and continue to mobilize while the party prays that it gets a favourable judgement at the tribunal. He said the supporters should pray along that the PDP is still in control in Akwa Ibom state as the APC cannot still gather enough momentum to take over.
But now that the Party is a divided house, Umana's hopes of retaining his ticket as the APC’S candidate is very dim as Udoedehe is sure of reclaiming his ticket. So, Umana Okon Umana's Constitutional right of challenging Governor Udom Emmanuel's election In court will be invalidated, as soon as the High court throws him out .
This will not only crash his right to challenge the divine Mandate given to Governor Udom Emmanuel, it will also render the Pilate’s Judgment of Justice Sadiq Umar inconsequential and voided before the Law.
Akwa Ibom APC is cracking as a broken record, but Umana's faction is lying to themselves of being the most popular political entity. A Gospel artiste of Akwa Ibom extraction, David Sunday said in one of his songs, Is foolishness, for a man who wears dark spectacle and winks his eyes at his enemies, is winking himself because the enemies cannot see the movement of his eyes, through the dark spectacle.
The APC in Akwa Ibom State has no structure and the party is divided and Senator Udoedehe is having the upper hand in terms of cagey structure the Party has in the State. It will be recalled that before the gubernatorial election, the Chapter Chairmen of the Party also abandoned Umana’s candidature and supported Governor Udom Emmanuel.
The Akwa Ibom APC is cracking like a broken record, I dare repeat and Umana’s faction should stop lying to themselves and face the reality that Umana does have what it takes to secure an election victory in Akwa Ibom State. Like the bazaar salesmen woul put it, Akwa Ibom APC Going, going, ...
Click here to listen to Senator Udoedeghe's blast against his party APC on radio today
