By Henshaw NYONG
In Akwa Ibom, just like many other States in the Federation, the story of party politics has taken the centre stage, as politicians have begun strategizing ahead of the 2019 general election.
However, our Political desk observed that this is certainly not the best of times for the APC in the State as the broom party has been polarised along different interest groups.
In a bid to control the levers of the party ahead of the 2019 elections, major forces in the party are currently in a suppressed war, which has split her members into, at least, three major factions.
The internal crisis in APC in Akwa Ibom is deep-seated such that the various factions have weakened the opposition party in the State.
The TOWN CRIER learnt that there are three major tendencies in the party: Senator John James AkpanUdoedehe, Umana Okon Umana’s loyalists and the Nsima Ekere group.
The Udoedehe tendency has major
stakeholders of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). The tendency, The TOWN CRIER observed, played a major role in the merger of the legacies of the party that coalesced to form APC. On the other hand, the Umana and Nsima groups are made up of their loyalists who defected with them to the broom party after the last gubernatorial election in the State.
Sources however, revealed that the internal squabble in APC in Akwa Ibom is as a result of the alleged inordinate ambitions of the three leaders. The threesome; Udoedehe, Umana and Nsima want to control the party structure in the State because of their purported ambition of contesting the 2019 governorship.
Former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); Senator John James Udoedehe prides himself as the one who brought the party, financed and maintained its structure, hence he should be in a position to dictate the affairs of the broom party in the state. But the Managing Director, Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority; Obong Umana Okon Umana and the Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); Mr Nsima Udo Ekere think differently. They contend that nobody is a stranger and, therefore, they are equal owners of the party.
However, The TOWN CRIER can authoritatively divulge that each camp has two goals – all revolve around 2019 elections – to take over the structures of the party in the State and boost their ambition.
Meanwhile, The Former FCT Minister of state in a recent interview was of the opinion that he had paid his dues as a leading opposition in the State for almost a decade, thus he cannot be treated with ignominy after his sacrifice, arguing that Umana Umana who was less popular than him decided to bring about injustice to the party.
The former Chairman of Uyo Local Government Council said that Mr Umana and Ekere are completely incapable of springing any surprise against the PDP in 2019.
Senator Akpanudoedehe boasted that he has since become the symbol of the struggle against the PDP government in which Umana Okon Umana and Nsima Ekere were the mastermind of its anomalies, hinting that he has put in a lot to build the APC in the State and that he has the right to jealously guard it.
Udoedehe said: “there is no better way to define Umana’s political legacy apart from being one of bewilderment, befuddlement, and lack of initiative; and his historical legacy as one of exploitation, deceit, and insensitivity. Except he surrenders his life completely to God, posterity will record this verdict for eternity against him”.
Suffice it to say that, recent altercations, squabbles and odium speeches among loyalists of the three APC leaders in the State is another angle to buttress the fact that their house has been divided and can only be united by a miracle before the next general elections.
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