Pandemonium As Ex-minister Breaks Into APC Secretariat In A/Ibom

No fewer than three persons sustained injuries as the ongoing fight
between two factions of the Akwa Ibom State All Progressives Congress
(APC) took a new and dangerous turn, at the weekend.

A faction loyal to the managing director of the Oil and Gas Free Zone
Authority (OGFZA), Obong Umana Okon Umana, had been having a running
battle with another faction led by the former minister of state for
the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator John James Akpanudoedehe.

The crises however got to the boiling point when the Umana’s faction
chaired by Dr. Amadu Atai, announced the suspension of the former
Minister and later expelled him from the party for what they described
as “anti-party activities

At the party Secretariat, earlier on the same day, Chairman of Umana’s
faction, Atai, had addressed a press conference affirming the
expulsion of the ex-minister, saying the resolution had been agreed by
the leadership of his Uyo Ward 6 and the State Exco of the party.

But in a swift reaction, Akpanudoedehe, returned from Abuja at the
weekend and led his angry supporters in a long convoy from the Ibom
International Airport to the APC Secretariat, along Atiku Abubakar
Way, Uyo, where they forcefully gained entrance after vandalizing the
gate under lock by the Umana’s faction.

Three persons sustained different degree of injuries and one of the
Policemen who attempted to calm the situation was ruffled and shoved
aside by angry supporters of the ex-Minister.

Armed Policemen stationed by Umana’s faction to prevent the opposing
group from entering the facility, could only cocked their guns and
remain on red alert,while the fiery supporters of Akpanudoedehe
vandalized the gate before directing the SUV carrying him and the
wife, to saunter into the party office.

Akpanudoedehe,who later addressed party supporters in an open van,
announced the sacking of the former State Executive, replacing it with
a new on chaired by one Mitchel Sunday George.

.He described the action of Umana’s faction as rubbish, warning that
he would never be cowed by those he personally brought into the party.
“They are impostors who have defrauded women and other members of the
party using the party structure”.“They have been deceiving women and
members of the party by collecting money and sold forms for a
purported Federal Government empowerment scheme .

Why should collect money before registering people to benefit from the
scheme?”, the ex-Minister fumed

.He said his decision to always challenge the atrocities of the
Umana’s factional Executive angered the Atai-led Exco to orchestrate a
campaign of calumny against him.“Where were they when I brought the
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to the State? Where were they when I
joined other prominent Nigerians including Asiwaju AhmedTinubu to
found the APC?”, he queried.

In the run up to the 2011 general elections, the ex-Minister had quit
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the then ACN, where he was
given the ticket to challenge former Governor Godswill Akpabio’s
reelection bid

.The former Chairman of Uyo Local Government, who won election to
represent Uyo at the Senate at the return of democracy in 1999, vowed
to challenged incumbent Governor Udom Emmanuel when the bell is toll
to kick-start the 2019 political activities.

“Yes, I will run for Governor to liberate you”, he announced, and
enjoined his teeming supporters not to be distracted by the ongoing
factional feuds in the APC,assuring that the dislodgment of Umana’s
faction would pave the way for the rebuilding process of the party.

Source: leadership