Mass defection to APC in Eket as Samingo Etukakpan dumps P.D.P

BY ASSAM ABIA

In a volcanic manner, over 500 members ofthe Peoples Democratic Party (P.D.P) and Labour Party (LP) in Eket on Wednesday joined Chief Samingo Etukakpan, a founding member of P. D. P in decamping to the All Progressive Congress (APC). 

The event which took place at the APC Secretariat along Oron Road in Eket caused gridlock as hundreds of vehicles lined both sides of the road from Uqua junction to Mobil Airstrip, making vehicular movement near impossible. 

Declaring, Chief Samingo Etukakpan from Ward 4 Urban Eket said he was sick of battling to save a party he co-founded when it was obvious that the former ruling party in Nigeria was “sinking ship”.

He maintained that as elder of the Peoples Democratic Party (P.D.P) since the year 1998, and secretary Eket Chapter of Elders’ Forum of the party when Dr. Ekanem was chairman, he had done everything humanly possible to re-direct the party to its original ideology of internal democracy but to no avail. 

“I have worked for the party for the past eighteen years without any dividend of democracy for myself and my followers, over five hundred of them you can now see here” he said. 

“They are decamping to the All Progress Congress in my support because they too have realized that P.D.P has failed them and as expected they cannot remain in such a failed party where impunity and selfishness reigns supreme, Etukakpan said. 

The P.D.P turncoat who has contributed in no small measure to the growth of P.D.P in Akwa Ibom State revealed that the party was hijacked some years back by “hawks” who knew nothing of democracy but impunity, adding that the party would not have failed if the “hawks” had allowed the people and founding fathers managed it democratically. 

Chief Etukakpan pledged to work for the growth of A.P.C in Akwa Ibom state in keeping with its ideology and to make sure that all his supporters well over 5,000 decamped to A.P.C in order to assist the administration of President Buhari revamp an economy that was bastardized and ruined by the “hawks”.
Chapter Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (A.P.C) Eket, Obong Godwin Akwawo could not hid his joy as he received Etukakpan and his followers into the party. 

He described the former P.D.P Chieftain as a big fish that cannot swim in small waters and commended him for his foresight, adding that the decampee will bring more than 70% of followers to APC, and that he is aware that the political heavyweight had earlier declared his intent at his ward level where he was registered with A.P.C registration card: AK1/EKE/03006521 as confirmed by Mr. Ubong Udo Etukudo, Ward 4 Urban Chairman of A.P.C, Eket. 

Highlight of the event was the formal presentation of the symbolic broom and party card to Chief Etukakpan and followers.