Larry Esin may become Umana’s running mate, as Attah, Etiebet, Nkpubre send final warning to PDP

Mr. Larry Esin

By Nse Peter

The trio of former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, a permanent member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees (BOT), Chief Don Etiebet and former National Vice Chairman of PDP, South South, Chief Edet Nkpubre have sent to PDP what could likely be termed as their last warning to the party over the crisis that is plaguing its Akwa Ibom State chapter after the just concluded controversial governorship primary.

Attah, Etiebet and Nkpubre said the process leading to the PDP governorship primary in the state ‘has not produced the people’s choice of a candidate and could well be the last straw that breaks the camel’s back if not remedied’.

All the governorship aspirants, 22 of them, with the exception to Governor Godswill Akpabio’s protégé, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, walked out of the venue of the PDP governorship primary in Akwa Ibom State, alleging blatant violation of the PDP guideline and the electoral act, even as the exercise continued and the party eventually declared Udom Emmanuel the winner.

Making reference to the controversial PDP governorship primary, Attah, Etiebet, and Nkpubre, said in a public statement on behalf of leaders, elders and stakeholders of PDP in Akwa Ibom State, that “what was shown in the live broadcast on Channels Television was that the delegates, after being issued with ballot papers, were not provided with the facility to indicate their choice of candidate, but merely proceeded to drop the ballot papers in the various boxes thereby suggesting that all the ballot papers had previously been ticked.”

The statement placed in The Nation newspaper of Thursday, 11 December, 2014, recounted the efforts that have been made to salvage the party from different crises that have been affecting it, and went ahead to say that “sadly, recent events, rather than mitigate, have greatly exacerbated the disenchantment within our party”.

“The ward congresses that were supposed to be held on Saturday, 1^st November, 2014 turned out to be a most shameful and unmitigated disaster in Akwa Ibom State which produced several ‘delegates lists’ variously signed by Obong Paul Ekpo, the Chairman of the party and Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, the National Organizing Secretary of the PDP. As responsible elders, leaders and stakeholders, we did not fail to bring this to the attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the Presidency and to warn against the looming catastrophe in our Party in Akwa Ibom State.

“Against all advice and despite protests by the gubernatorial aspirants, the gubernatorial primary of Monday, 8^th December, 2014 was conducted without any known delegates list. There was no accreditation of delegates as personally confirmed by the Chairman of the electoral panel. All known guidelines as stipulated by the party for the conduct of gubernatorial primary were flagrantly ignored,” the statement said.

Going by the antecedents of Goodluck Jonathan’s Presidency and the national leadership of PDP with regards to the crises rocking the party in the state, most political analysts say it is unlikely for President Jonathan or PDP to give in to respond to the request of PDP leaders in the state.

Meanwhile, a local newspaper in Akwa Ibom State has hinted that one of the aggrieved PDP governorship aspirants in the state, Mr. Larry Esin may be picked as a running mate to the All Progressives Congress’s candidate, Mr. Umana Okon Umana.

Besides such a hint, there are indications that the some, if not all, of the 22 aggrieved PDP governorship aspirants may likely decamp from PDP to APC where they will back Umana for governorship.