Fresh crises rocks A’Ibom PDP * Youth leaders draw sword

The Akwa Ibom State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party[PDP]  over the weekend was thrown into turmoil over the actions of the Special Assistant to Governor Udom Emmanuel on Youth Matters, Mr. Aniefiok Iwaudofia whom the 31 youth leaders across the state have accused of setting the backing of some top government functionaries to undermine their offices to gain pecuniary benefits.

Youth leaders of the party who converged on a location in Ewet Housing Estate in Uyo the state capital in a chat with THE INK reporter on Sunday said Iwaudofia cannot be more catholic than the pope and wondered why the Ibiono Ibom would want to stampede and undermine the constitutional powers of the youth leaders. 

In a statement unanimously agreed upon by the youth leaders, the group said, the planned thank you tour that the youth SA planned for the three Senatorial Districts cannot hold.

Youth leaders of the PDP in Akwa Ibom view the planned tour as a calculated attempt to extort money from the government and people of Akwa Ibom State.

The statement which is dated 30th October reads in part, “the attention of all Youth Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Akwa Ibom State have been drawn to information circulating on air and other news platforms that youths of Akwa Ibom State should converge in Eket, Ikot Ekpene and Uyo Senatorial Districts in a rally tagged Nda Ye Udom thank you tour as organized and coordinated by a certain Aniefiok Iwaudofia an aide to His Excellency Governor Udom Emmanuel.

While we normally would not have bothered to come out with this release, we are obliged to speak out on this purported rally which is in its entirety fraudulent, satanic, vile and a calculated attempt to obtain funds albeit dubiously from our Governor Deacon Udom Gabriel Emmanuel and perhaps other unsuspecting elites of the Akwa Ibom Public.

Our initial findings have revealed that the organizers of that show did not consider or even sought the position of the youth leaders in this regard because of the fraud it intends to achieve. 

And to this end, we wish to state very clearly that no youth of Akwa Ibom State of good conscience should honour such invitation to the rally. 

We had earlier called Aniefiok Iwaudofia the SA on youth matters to the Governor to explain the rationale behind such ill motive which in all sense is not in favor of our exceptional Governor but he has turned down the call. He refused a meeting with us to at least explain the aim of his action.

Furthermore, we had sought from the leadership of the party in the State if they are aware of Iwaudofia’s intention but they responded in the negative.

Since the intending rally is shrouded in secrecy which is pregnant with a lot of negatives, we are using this medium to advice all youths, Elders and members of the public to please discountenance Iwaudofia’s plot to dupe the Governor and Government of Akwa Ibom State through this show of a rally he is christening Nda Ye Udom, thank you tour.”

When the anger of the youth leaders of the party got to the elites in government, the immediate past commissioner for works Mr. Ephraim Akparawa Inyang Eyen made attempts to reconcile the warring factions. But the meeting ended in deadlock as the youths insisted that the event as packaged by Iwaudofia be put forward until the interest of the party is spelled out.

The youths also insisted that Iwaudofia be called to order as his continuous usurping of the responsibilities of the youths in the party will spell doom for the unity of the party.

Iwaudofia who was seated with Akparawa Inyang Eyen and the state PDP youth leader Mr. Enobong Harry is said to have opened up to the immediate past commissioner for works that twelve million naira was approved for the rally. He is said to have promised Inyang Eyen two million naira who directed that the sum be used for security.

Iwaudofia is said to have also explained in details to Ephraim Inyang Eyen the breakdown of the budget proposal for the events, following which the ONNA born works man directed that the state PDP youth leader Enobong Harry and SA youths Aniefiok Iwaudofia should go   and reconcile their interests amicably.

Before the former Works Commissioner dismissed the warring factions, the backer-in-chief of Iwaudofia Engr. Ufot Ebong apparently sensing that the youth leaders may throw punches at him made a phone call to Inyang Eyen appreciating him for his timely interventions on the matter.

When the PDP youth leader and the SA on youth matters left Ephraim Inyang’s residence, they and their cartels made a stopover at Emerald Event Centre where Udom’s SA on Brand marketing Mr. Ime Uwah was addressing some youths before proceeding to Enis gardens for a peace talk. 

The peace talk failed to produce the desired result as Iwaudofia’s bouncer confronted one of the youth leaders and queried their numerical strength at the meeting. This position did not go down well with the youth leaders who threatened to manhandle Iwaudofia and his bouncer. It took the timely intervention of the state PDP youth leader Enobong Harry to calm frayed nerves.

But that earlier challenge was just a sign of things to come. When the tension at Enis garden took a system shaking tremor, the youth leader of PDP in Akwa Ibom Enobong Harry then met with Iwaudofia behind closed doors. The meeting also failed to achieve its aim as the outcome of the two-man meeting added to intimate the youth leaders. 

When Iwaudofia was approached by the youths on the outcome of the meeting, this response of planning to provide a bus for the youths got to the nerves of the PDP youth leaders who went physical at him. It took the help of some customers and policemen to stop Iwaudofia from being mobbed. He was escorted into his white dim-glass Toyota Hilux car by well wishers and a team of policemen after he was slightly assaulted.

The stampede saw to the youth leaders boycotting the press briefing which was coordinated by Emmanuel Nicholas alias white bom-bom. The press briefing was to be jointly addressed by Enobong Harry and Aniefiok Iwaudofia and was billed to hold at Akwa Resort and Gardens in Ewet Housing Estate near Akwa Ibom ALGON Secretariat.

In the meantime, THE INK can authoritatively report that Iwaudofia had actually hijacked the intellectual property of the PDP youth leaders who had earlier planned a thank you tour in the three Senatorial Districts but were denied funding by the state government.

When the government through Engr. Ufot Ebong and others then decided to fund Iwaudofia, the thirty one youth leaders of the party lost their patience and moved against the system.

It was gathered also that Iwaudofia had sold a dummy to the government of the day that APC youths and many other youths including the defunct youth council and village youth Presidents were planning a massive reception for Obong Nsima Ekere after his swearing in as the MD/CEO of the NDDC and that he should be mobilized to organized the thank you tour for the Governor. 

Iwaudofia is said to have been instilled that APC youths and other concerned youths in the state wants to trek from the airport to Nsima Ekere’s campaign ground when NUE is finally sworn-in and comes to Uyo. A dummy the state Governor is said to have bought hook, line and sinker.

However, the failure of Iwaudofia and Harry with their men to reach a compromise may not be the end of the day as both factions are to return to Ephraim Inyang to settle their differences.

As at the time of going to press, it was unclear whether any head way was achieved as both groups could not be reached on how far the settlement had gone. This crisis in the party sources say may lead the ruling party to Golgotha if it is not properly managed. A former commissioner in Udom’s Exco said “I think Udom and his people have so far relegated the youth wing of the party and until the Governor understands that he was given this platform by the party, problems like these will continue”.