I am still a member of PDP BoT, says Don Etiebet

By Nse Peter

Chief Don Etiebet has debunked media report that he has been removed from the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Don Etiebet, through a terse public statement on Thursday, 28 Feb, by his special assistant on media, Enobong Jimie Idiong, says “I am pleased to confirm to you that the Atuekong was never removed from the PDP BoT”.

The statement reads, “In fact, in the report presented to the BoT meeting on the 25th of February, 2013, by the Prof. Jerry Gana committee, at which Atuekong Don Obot Etiebet was in attendance, he was listed as number eight in the category of Founding Fathers and Mothers of the Party”.

 “The condition which affected other members who left the party and later returned did not affect the Atuekong (Etiebet) because when he returned to the party in 2006, the whole NWC (National Working Committee) of the party led by the then National Chairman and National Secretary came to Uyo to receive him back to the party and his membership of the BOT was restored with full rights and privileges.”

Etiebet t however admits that “some people had schemed to remove” him from the PDP BoT.

There were reports last week in several newspapers which suggest that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba and Chief Don Etiebet have been removed from the PDP BoT as a sanction for their leaving the party at one time for another political party. One newspaper report went further to say that Etiebet has been replaced by another Akwa Ibom politician, Senator Emanuel Ibok-Essien.