The authorities of Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area have risen in strong condemnation of a news item credited to Nsikan Abatai in a State based tabloid of Monday March, 10,2014 in which Abatai allegedly made grave and unfounded allegations against the Chairman of Ikot Ekpene Local Government Council, Obonganwan Gloria Useh.
In a statement signed by the Head, Media and Publicity Unit, Ikot Ekpene LGA, Mr. Mansseh Umoette, Abatai was only acting the script of his pay masters who are disgruntled politicians in Ikot Ekpene Local government area that desperately in search of space in the system.
All the allegation made by Abatai against Useh Umoette added are infantile and baseless as they exist only in the warped minds of Abatai and those he represents.
The statement by the local government council indicates that Abatai decided to make himself a tool for blackmail after the Council Chairman upon evaluating his poor performance in a revenue contract he won in the Council took it away from him and gave it to another contractor with the integrity required in the Council’s plan to raise its Internally Generated Revenue.
“ Nsikan Abatai is an ingrate who is now biting the finger that fed him. In sympathy with his unemployed status, the Chairman graciously offered him a revenue contract but his remittances fell short of the Council’s expectation. So, it was taken away from him and another one he had the capacity to execute given to him. Is it the fault of the Chairman that Abatai could not meet the expectations of the Coouncil?” the statement queried.
Umoette stating that that it was most uncharitable for Abatai to refer to Obonganwan Useh as uneducated and inexperienced maintained that in the move to do the bidding of his pay masters and rub tar on the hard earned image of Useh, he has exposed his inadequacies as one hampered by the lack of a formal education.
“ Who in his right mind will refer to Mrs Useh as an uneducated person . The Chairman of Ikot Ekpene LGA holds a Teacher’s grade 2 certificate and a National Certificate of Education( NCE) certificate from the Akwa Ibom state College of Education, Afaha Nsit. The Chairman taught for many years and was indeed successful until she decided to join politics fully” the statement said.
The claim by Abatai and his co-travellers that Mrs Useh is inexperienced in politics, the statement added is laughable maintaining that “ For now Useh can pass for one of the longest serving political office holder in Ikot Ekpene LGA . She was a long standing Woman Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP), two term Supervisor in the Council and now Executive Chairman”.
Explaining that Abatai’s story in the Projector written in the most unprofessional way because no recourse was made to the Chairman or the Media Unit of the Council before the publication, Umoette s made it clear that Useh is being attacked for her total loyalty to the Governor of Akwa Ibom
State and his wife adding that the disgruntled politicians now see Useh’ s commitment to democratic ideals as shutting out in total darkness their selfish , anti people kind of politicking that held sway for a long time in the politics of the area.
“ The desperate plot to blackmail Useh by saying that she is travelling all over the place with the First Lady in order to curry favour is an over used political gambit which no longer sells. Let it be known that Useh is not pretending over supporting Governor Akpabio’s Senate ambition in 2015 like Abatai and his pay masters are doing. The Chairman does not need to be persuaded to support our dear Governor and those attacking her know this; so they devised lies to the effect that she spends all her time following the first lady to see if they can severe a treasured relationship .” Umoette said.
Explaining that the claim by Abatai and his paymasters that the Ikot Ekpene is unclean because refuse has not been cleared, Umoette noted “Is an expired lie because well meaning citizens of the local government area can attest to the fact that at no time has the Council been as clean as it presently is. The Chairman has in fact been receiving commendations to this effect from people of goodwill.
Her passion in cleaning the local government has made it possible for refuse heaps to disappear from various points in the city centre” The allegation that the Old Secretariat has been abandoned by the present administration and is now a den of thieves, the statement noted is untrue because it is undergoing renovation and presently hosts the Office of the Paramount Ruler, State Security Service, Civil Defense, National Identity Card Office and some local government offices.
The statement adds further that Abatai and his Pay masters in trying to play politics with the delay in the payment of the salaries of staff of the Ikot Ekpene local government area is an expired propaganda and clearly a show of ignorance because apart from the fact that other local governments including Uyo , Abak ,Nsit Ibom, Ikono and Ini are also affected ,the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, Arc Otu Ita Toyo had absolved the Chairmen of the Councils affected of any blame; since the problem is as a result of the shortfall in allocation to the state.
Stating the attack on Useh is not unconnected with the 2015 elections, the statement added that “Gloria Useh wishes to state categorically that she is not nursing any ambition, either to re-contest as Chairman or to contest for the Ikot Ekpene/ Obot Akara seat in the House of Assembly as feared by some politicians. No amount of blackmail and intimidation will affect her unwavering support and loyalty to Governor Godswill Akpabio in 2015 and beyond”
It therefore warned politicians who have various interests to play their politics and leave Obonganwan Gloria Useh alone.
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