Etiebet, Others Criticise PDP Ward Congresses

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• Wike: Aspirants who boycotted congresses are professional losers

Our correspondents

The last may not have been heard over the conduct of last Saturday’s ward congresses of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in across the country as protests have continued to trail the exercise.

In Akwa Ibom State, a member, Board of Trustee (BoT) of the party, Chief Don Etiebet, who strongly criticised the electoral panel and the conduct of the congress describing it as a mockery of the party.

Briefing journalists yesterday in Uyo to register his grievances over the congress, Etiebet urged the national headquarters of the party to urgently wade into the embarrassing situation before things deteriorate.

The former Minister of Petroleum said there was no congress in the state, saying as a veteran of electoral processes in the country since 1978, he knows what congress, primaries and elections is all about, “but that of Saturday was far from what it used to be.

“I want to tell you that I am not satisfied with the conduct of the ward congress conducted in the state on Saturday. It was a farce and there was no congress conducted in the state,” he said.

The Chairman of the PDP Electoral Committee sent to the state, Senator Abdulraziz Ibrahim, Etiebet alleged was  biased.

“Ibrahim openly told the stakeholders and aspirants that he did not come to conduct ward congress but to monitor.

“The electoral committee that was sent to Akwa Ibom State to conduct the election arrived Akwa Ibom State and no one knew where they were.

“Normally when such team arrives in the state, they will seek to talk to party elders, they will address the different aspirants and their supporters. They did not do that. We did not even know that they were in Akwa Ibom."

In Abia, the state chapter of the PDP has denied violating court order stopping last Saturday’s ward congresses, saying that no court order was served on the party.

An Abuja High Court had last Wednesday made an order stopping the PDP ward congresses from holding in Abia following a suit challenging the setting up of an 11-member congress committee by the state party leadership.

But the state chairman of the  PDP, Senator Emma Nwaka, told journalists at a press conference in Umuahia yesterday that neither he nor any member of the state executive committee received any court injunction concerning the ward congresses. Rather he said what he got was an order from an Obingwa high court obtained by some members of the party vacating the said court order from Abuja, adding that both courts have “coordinate jurisdiction.”

Nwaka insisted that as lawyer with over 30 years experience in the bar, he could not ignored an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.

He said the ward congresses were a huge success in all 184 electoral wards in the state and vehemently dismissed the position of the three Abia senators who claimed that no ward congresses was held in Abia.

However, the party chairman acknowledged that there were some shortcomings in the conduct of the congresses but commended the party faithful and members of the electoral committee led by Mr. Tony Okeke for conducting “a peaceful and successful congress.”

In Bayelsa State, despite the seeming peace that characterised the congresses facts have emerged that parallel elections were held in some local governments areas and wards in the state as some leading politicians disagreed among themselves.

THISDAY learnt that it was one of such disagreements that led to an attempt on the live of a former a deputy governor of the state whose boat was attacked and four persons were killed.

Ebebi was considered a loyalist of the state governor Chief Seriake Dickson and a member of the PDP caucus assembly that zoned out the senatorial seat from his own local government area to that of Dickson.

The parallel congresses were said to have been held on the instigation of some serving senators and House of Representatives members who were desirous for a return ticket despite the zoning formula in place in the state.

It was also learnt that Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, representing Bayelsa West senatorial district in the Senate, conducted a parallel congress in his ward headquarters in Ekeremor Local Government Area.

Apart from Lokpobiri, the senator representing the state's central senatorial district, Senator Emmanuel Paulker, was said to have also organised a separate congress of his own in his ward headquarters at Opolo, Yenagoa.

Paulker, a close confidant of President Jonathan, reportedly brought all the materials for the congress from Abuja and conducted the exercise separately from the one held by Dickson's loyalists.

The same scenario also played out in Ogbia, the local government area of President Jonathan where loyalists of Dickson shut out the senator representing the Bayelsa East senatorial district, Mr. Clever Ikisikpo.

Also, the people of Okordia, Biseni and Zarama communities in Constituency lll, Yenagoa local government were said to have protested the conduct of the congress in their area.

They claimed that some prominent politicians led by the member representing them in the House of Assembly, Pastor Gentle Emelah, hijacked electoral materials meant for the congress.

However, the situation seems to be different in Rivers State, as a former Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, described the 16 governorship aspirants who boycotted the ward congresses as professional losers who were waiting for President Goodluck Jonathan's endorsement.

This came as the aspirants and there supporters have said they would not appear before the election appeals panel set up to hear complaints from the congresses.

Speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday on the outcome of the elections, Wike said it was unfortunate that the protesting aspirants did not prepare for the congresses.

He said the other aspirants were hoping that Jonathan would prevail on him not to pick the express of intent and nomination form but were surprised when he resigned and paid for both forms.

He also said the other aspirants were also hoping that they would prevail on the president to ask him to drop his governorship ambition, adding that they misfired.

“Where were they all these months that I was on the road working for the resuscitation of the party. Most of them are moles that the All Progressives Party, APC, has planted to derail our march to government house in 2015.  I can assure you that they will not succeed,” Wike said.

In Cross River State, though Governor Liyel Imoke is not contesting for any election but that did not stop thousands of his loyalists from taking to the streets of major towns in the state on Sunday to celebrate the outcome of the just-concluded ward congress election.

From Ogoja in the North to Ikom in the central senatorial district and even Bakassi in the southern senatorial district, it was celebration galore for the governor’s loyalists who saw the outcome of the exercise as a revalidation of Imoke’s leadership of the party in the state.

In Ikom town on Sunday, hundreds of okada riders said to be were seen performing some amazing feats along Etomi road axis in jubilation of the outcome of the poll while some women where seen dancing round major streets shouting we “have won;” “our people have done it again.”

Also at Presbyterian Primary School field, Ikom, another set of hundreds of party supporters gathered there celebrating the results of the ward congress.

Source: ThisDay