LG Polls: Why crisis erupted at PDP stakeholders meeting in Itu

…Henry Archibong accused of fomenting crisis

By Kenneth Jude

Contrary to a widely circulated report that the Political Leader of Itu Local Government Area, Rt. Hon. Henry Archibong, and some critical stakeholders were assaulted at a meeting held last Friday at the Council Secretariat by youths suspected to be loyal to a former House of Assembly Member, our reporter gathered that what transpired at the said meeting was a spontaneous reaction based on the fact that notice for the meeting didn’t state that there will be a mock election.

Investigation by our reporter reveals that the political leader had sent messages to some stakeholders of Itu Local Government Area to the effect that there will be a crucial meeting at the council secretariat “by 2 pm strictly on invitation”.

The invitation, it was gathered, did not have any information regarding a mock election that would produce a chairmanship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the October 26 Local Government elections holding in the state.

Trouble reportedly started when the supposed meeting was turned into a mock election to produce a “pre-arranged chairmanship candidate, one Jimmy Ndon, a relatively unknown greenhorn who did not win his unit in the last governorship election,” a source who preferred anonymity told our reporter.

According to our source, the angry reaction by those who were in attendance at the meeting was because the meeting deviated from the widely circulated agenda which was termed “a crucial meeting”.

“But we were shocked to realise that our political leader, Rt. Hon. Henry Archibong in cahoots with those loyal to him arranged a mock election apparently to produce someone they already had in mind. It was at this point that we objected to the fact that, what is happening is different from the message we received.”

The source added that the political leader was working with core loyalists of Mr Akan Okon who contested and failed the last governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic party.

“That is another thing that got us upset. We all remember how Akan Okon embarrassed Governor Umo Eno with a cooked-up certificate forgery allegation case. So, why should his loyalists now be the ones dictating the political pathway for Itu? We will not fold our hands and watch those who did not work for the emergence of Pastor Umo Eno dictate the political future of our local government.”

The source revealed that the reason the said meeting descended into chaos was because a majority of the stakeholders of Itu were not aware of the mock election. He added that the Deputy Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kufre-Abasi Edidem was not aware of the purported mock election. Speaking further, he revealed that Hon. Ekaette Ebong Okon, Hon. Idongesit Ituen, chapter officers, ward leaders of the party and other critical stakeholders of Itu Local Government Area were equally not informed of any mock election to produce a chairmanship candidate for the October 26 local government election in the state.

He maintained that the roots of the crisis were what he described as a “Well calculated plot to impose an unknown person on the party under the false pretext that his choice was arrived at after a mock election that produced him. I want to say here that, the PDP in Itu did not conduct any mock election to produce a chairmanship candidate for the local government election in October. Whatever was done by our political leader in collaboration with his minions was a sham and remains so,” he stated.

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Those who spoke to our reporter on the development in Itu LGA noted that the political leader of the area, Hon. Archibong and those loyal to him reportedly went to a hotel in Uyo to go ahead with the mock election.

“Whatever they did there is not the wishes of Itu people and stakeholders. Stakeholders in Itu Local Government Area are waiting for His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, Governor of Akwa Ibom State and leader of the party for direction on the chairmanship candidate for the October election in Itu Local Government,” he said confidently.

A source who also wished not to be mentioned due to what he described as the sensitivity of the matter disclosed that printed ballot papers were found in the office of the council chairman, Barr. Etetim Onuk, a development he said, irked attendees of the meeting more. “Why should we be invited to a meeting that was later turned into an election? That was deceptive of our political leader and his collaborators. Let us do the right thing to avert a crisis in Itu LGA,” he warned.

It was gathered that the chairmanship position which has about 17 aspirants from the PDP has been zoned to East Itam Southern, comprising wards 3, 4 and 5.

As of the time of filing this report, the political leader of Itu Local Government Area, Rt. Hon. Henry Archibong, and Chairman of Council, Barr. Onuk, could not be reached for comments due to a failure in the network connection.