Akwa Ibom: Group of 22 guber aspirantsdenies meeting with Buhari

A group of 22 aggrieved Akwa Ibom State
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
governorship aspirants yesterday denied
having a meeting with the presidential
candidate of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), or any of his
representatives.
The group said the allegation was
fashioned to discredit its members as
loyal party men by the same people that
had denied them and Akwa Ibom people a
free and fair primary election.
It reiterated in a jointly signed statement
released in Abuja that its only request
from the PDP leadership was for the party
to redeem its credibility by nullifying the
outcome of the December 8 exercise in
the state, which the group described as
“fraudulent, not transparent and a
violation of the party’s rule on
accreditation of delegates.”
The aspirants vowed not to be
blackmailed or intimidated into jettisoning
their legitimate quest for fair play, equity
and justice in a democratic setting that
ought to be rooted in fundamental human
rights to fair hearing.
They said: “While having meetings with
any individual or interest group is within
our legitimate rights, and something that
will not be thrown away in a hurry, we as
faithful members of the PDP remain
hopeful that the party will show
leadership and responsibility in ensuring
that grievances of its members are always
expeditiously addressed and policy of
inclusiveness pursued in the overall
interest of the party, essentially in an
election period like this.”
Apparently dissatisfied over the manner
the December 8 primary election in the
state was conducted, the 22 aspirants had
been presenting a unified front in
pursuing their case for justice.
It was gathered that last week, they held a
meeting with the governor of the state,
Godswill Akpabio, whose plea for them to
accept the result of the controversial
primary, was rejected.
Before the meeting with Akpabio, the
group had also sent petitions to both the
party leadership and President Goodluck
Jonathan, stating reasons they rejected
the primary election, which included the
allegations that accreditation of delegates
was done inside the government house
and not at the venue of the exercise,
thereby denying their agents access to the
venue since they were not accredited.
The aspirants also alleged that delegates
were not given ballot papers in the public
glare, adding that already marked ballot
papers were given to the delegates
outside the venue to just dropped in the
ballot boxes.
There is also a substantive suit in an
Abuja High Court over the controversial
primary, filed by one of the aspirants,
Chief Ime Ekanem, and other such
litigations that are still ongoing.