Saturday 24 October 2015

Bassey Dan-Abia, Effiong Bob, others shun Gov Udom Emmanuel’s reception

By Nse Peter
The Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission, Obong Bassey Dan-Abia was conspicuously absent at a reception organised on Friday in Uyo for Governor Udom Emmanuel by the Akwa Ibom State government.



Former federal minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Chief Nduese Essien, former chairman, Hospital Management Board, Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Val Attah and Senator Effiong Bob were among notable Peoples Democratic Party members that were also not present at the event.
Governor Emmanuel flew in from Abuja to Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, after spending two days in the Federal Capital Territory since the election tribunal annulled the April 11, 2015 election in 18 out of 31 local government areas in the state.
The governor was received at the Akwa Ibom International Airport, Uyo, by a crowd of people said to have been rented by the state government for a fee of N2, 500 each, and from there driven in a long convoy to Wellington Bassey Way where the reception took place.
Top politicians who attended the reception were mostly members of the Akwa Ibom State Executive Council, besides former military governor of the State, Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga and Senator Anietie Okon.
Think Akwa Ibom! gathered that Bassey Dan-Abia was in Uyo on Friday but chose not to attend the reception for obvious reason that he does not want to be seen as backing Emmanuel, a PDP candidate, against APC which is the party of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The NDDC MD was at Afaha Akpan Ekpo, Etinan Local Government Area, on that same Friday to attend the burial ceremony of late Deacon Jessie Usen, the mother Mr. Anietie Usen who is a director in NDDC. He is said to have travelled to Eket, immediately after the burial ceremony.
Think Akwa Ibom! had exclusively reported about three weeks ago Bassey Dan-Abia’s comment during  stakeholders’ meeting in his Esit-Eket community that he was going to back APC if there is a re-run of the Akwa Ibom governorship election, so as to protect his job in NDDC.
Eket, Ibeno and Onna, where Dan-Abia is believed to have considerable political influence, are among the local government areas the election tribunal ordered for a re-run.


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