ANOTHER SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST AKWA IBOM SSG

Mr. Umana Okon Umana, the Akwa Ibom SSG

The attention of Mr. Umana Okon Umana, Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government (SSG), has just been drawn to a false publication on the internet which claimed that the SSG desperately sought endorsement of his party to run for governor at the last stakeholders meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (Uyo Senatorial District) held on Sunday 28 April 2013 in Uyo, and that the SGG sponsored a story in a local newspaper ahead of the end of the meeting to the effect that he has been adopted as the sole candidate for the 2015 governorship election in the state. We reject as complete falsehood all the insinuations and claims of the said publication to the effect that the SSG wanted the meeting to adopt him as the sole candidate of the district for the 2015 election. What happened at the meeting, already clearly stated in a communiqué, will be summarized below. But first, let us look at the author of this false publication so that the public can then determine who to believe.

The author of the publication, Mr Michael Ukanga Ekpo, is a discredited rumour monger and a petty liar. He lies for a living. His antecedents are disgusting. He is a fugitive, on the run from his past. He has lied serially against all respectable men and women in the present government in the state and in the government before this one. Two samplers will suffice for his lies. Last year, Ukanga Ekpo claimed in a widely publicized false report that HE Governor Akpabio and his SGG, Mr Umana Okon Umana were the owners of the gas plant in Eket, Seven Energy Limited, a new airline to be floated by the state government, among other businesses in the state and further stated that he had confirmed these claims from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Our check at the CAC showed that HE and his SSG had no link whatsoever with the ownership of those companies. Our findings were published; yet Ukanga Ekpo has not apologized to Nigerians up to now for his falsehood. In December last year or thereabout, Ukanga Ekpo again lied that the SSG and other ranking members of the state government had set up a killer squad to kill political opponents beginning from January this year. This was also shown to be false. But up to now this serial liar has not apologized for his evil ways.

As it is well known, the medium is the message. Ukanga Ekpo, the purveyor of the falsehood about the last PDP stakeholders meeting in Uyo, cannot be the source of a credible or factual story, given his antecedents as a serial liar and a fugitive who is hiding out in Ghana to escape his past.

Mr. Umana Okon Umana does not own Insight newspaper, a tabloid published in Uyo, contrary to the false claim in the internet publication, and did not sponsor the paper to write any story on the said PDP stakeholders meeting.

It speaks volume about his motive that the author of this latest mischief has himself admitted that the newspaper in question on realizing that it had carried an incorrect story immediately retracted it, yet he still went ahead to cry wolf and blame an innocent man for the incorrect report.

What happened at the PDP stakeholders meeting in Uyo

1.   The meeting was a routine meeting of the party. It was called at the behest of Uyo Senatorial District PDP chairman to discuss affairs of the party in the senatorial district. At no time did the issue of endorsing or not endorsing anyone feature in the deliberations of the meeting.

 

2.   The meeting discussed the imperative for party unity and the need for hard work to strengthen the party in Uyo Senatorial District.

 

3.   The meeting took appropriate notice of the national consensus against zoning in the filling of elective political offices based on the wishes of Nigerians across all the geo-political zones of the country as collated in the report of the House of Representatives Constitution Amendment Committee which visited all parts of the country to gauge the feelings of Nigerians on zoning. The meeting then aligned itself with the national consensus against zoning by unambiguously rejecting zoning and unequivocally restating its position that elective offices in the state should remain open as they have always been for all interested persons to freely contest.

 

4.   The meeting highly commended Governor Godswill Akpabio on his outstanding performance in office and resolved that whoever wants to succeed him in 2015 must have both the experience and the leadership capacity to maintain the tempo of development that the state has enjoyed under Governor Akpabio.

 

5.   Senior members of the PDP who spoke at the meeting include Otuekong Sonny Jackson Udoh, Senator Anietie Okon, Senator Ita Enang, Obongawan Rita Akpan and Mr Umana Okon Umana. At no time during the meeting did anyone, including Umana Okon Umana, canvass support for anyone in respect of election to any office. The purpose of the meeting was not to seek support for or from anyone.

 

6.   Mr. Umana Okon Umana, a highly disciplined and self-respecting man, could not have canvassed support for a political ambition he has not declared to his constituency, Uyo Senatorial District. For the avoidance of doubt, Mr Umana Okon Umana has not declared his intention to run for office of governor. He would not go to his people for support for an ambition he has not told them about.

 

7.   The facts about the said PDP stakeholders meeting are as summarized above. The claims by Ukanga Ekpo and his cohort to the contrary should be ignored as complete falsehood.

 

   Iboro Otongaran

  Head, Bestman Media Team