(Being The Text of a Press Release From the Obong Akan Udofia Campaign Council)
In view of the judgement of the Federal High Court in Uyo today, Monday, 14th November 2022, we are guided by our commitment to the rule of law, the constitution of our party and the abiding support and goodwill of our party members and teeming supporters to make this statement to clarify the issues and to set out our direction in a clear manner.
Honourable Justice A.A. Okeke, in her judgment, nullified the All Progressives Congress, APC, primaries and held that our candidate, Obong Akanimo Udofia, was not qualified to contest the gubernatorial primaries of our party.
Against the backdrop of the judgment, it is important to state the following facts:
1. It is shocking for the judge to reach the above conclusions in spite of glaring evidence that Akan Udofia duly resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, via a letter dated 1st of May 2022 and addressed to the Ward Executive Chairman of Mbiaso Ward 1, Nsit Ibom and Chairman of Akwa Ibom State chapter of the PDP respectively.
2. We wish to restate that from the moment Akan Udofia resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, he officially ceased to enjoy all the rights and privileges that inure by reason of such membership, including the fundamental right of voting and being voted for in all PDP elections, such as the governorship primary election mentioned herein.
3. Consequently, we unequivocally wish to state that Obong Akanimo Udofia did NOT take part, participate, or in any manner howsoever, contest the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship primaries election in Akwa Ibom State, held on 25th May 2022.
4. To set the records straight, Obong Akan Udofia is a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, with registration No. AK/AFG/20/03997 in Mbiaso Ward 1, Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
5. On May 12th, 2022, the National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC graciously granted his application for a waiver to contest the APC governorship primary election in Akwa Ibom State, in accordance with Article 31.4 (ii) of the APC Constitution (as Amended 2022).
6. Subsequently, he was duly screened and cleared to contest the Akwa Ibom State governorship primaries by the Screening Committee of the APC, a clear indication that he had met the statutory requirements of the party for participation in its primaries.
7. It is thus ridiculous for anyone to claim that he was not qualified to stand for election as the governorship candidate of the APC in Akwa Ibom State.
8. The governorship primaries of our great party, the APC, indeed held on Thursday, May 26th, 2022, at the state Secretariat of our party, Ekpo Obot Street, Uyo. The exercise was validly conducted by the APC Governorship Primary Election Committee for Akwa Ibom State, led by Omoba Tunde Ajibulu, as Chairman with Ms Evelyn Okere as Secretary.
9. The following aspirants, namely: Obong Akanimo Udofia, Prof. Chris Ekong, Mr. Larry Esin and Senator Ita Enang were physically present at the venue of the primaries and participated in the exercise, which culminated in the declaration of Obong Akan Udofia as the governorship candidate of the APC in Akwa Ibom State, having scored 1,227 votes out of a total 1,303 valid votes cast.
10. This judgement is a gross violation and infringement of the constitutional right to freedom of association afforded Akan Udofia under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, by denying him the rights and privileges available to him as a member of a political party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
11. Registration of members of the APC is a continuous exercise by the provisions of Article 9.4(i) of the APC Constitution, which enjoins the oarty to compile and maintain a membership register at the ward level. In this case, Akan Udofia’s name is duly registered as a member of the party in Mbiaso Ward 1, Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. This accords him all rights and privileges afforded all members under Article 9.3 (i), which states that members of the party shall have the right to vote and be voted for in any elective position.
12. Section 77(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, as amended, provides that every registered political party shall maintain a register of its members in both hard and soft copy. This means that the register which the Electoral Act mandates the political parties to maintain is a continuum or a continuous register.
13. Respect for Fundamental Human Rights is a key feature of any democracy. This judgement violates the fundamental right of Obong Akanimo Udofia to associate with the All Progressives Congress, APC, which is his political party of choice. He is entitled to the full rights and benefits of his association with the party, which includes his right to contest the governorship primaries of the party.
In summary, we have set out the above facts with clarity in order to disabuse the minds of the members of the public, especially the good people of Akwa Ibom State, who could be tempted to believe that our candidate is not qualified to contest the elections.
Obong Akan Udofia is duly qualified to contest and his emergence as the governorship candidate of the APC brought joy to the vast majority of Akwa Ibom people who have long yearned for people-oriented leadership and good governance.
Expectedly, the forces of tyranny that have held the state down are not happy, hence the grand conspiracy to get him off the ballot and ensure that there is no viable alternative to their bid to impose a vastly unpopular candidate.
We state that no conspiracy can scheme out a man who God has ordained to be on the ballot and ultimately in Government House.
Obong Akanimo Udofia remains undaunted and is optimistic that he will surely be on the ballot as governorship candidate of the APC and win the 2023 elections with the support of our people.
There is no shadow of doubt over his candidacy. We have great confidence in our judiciary and will take immediate steps to appeal this judgment and recover the mandate freely conferred on him by the members of our great party.
We urge all good people of Akwa Ibom State and teeming supporters to remain calm and go about their lawful duties and activities for our collective march towards a prosperous Akwa Ibom is still very much on course.
Signed:
Chief Don Etim
Director-General,
Akan Udofia Campaign Organisation
