Esit Eket Ward 1 pay solidarity visit to Dan Abia Jnr

BY ASSAM ABIA

Major Political stakeholders numbering over 200 cutting across party divide from Ward 1 in Esit Eket L. G. A. on Sunday paid a solidarity visit to Barrister Bassey Dan Abia (Jnr.) in his resident in Eket.

The visit which was led by Mr. Ikon John Assam preceded the declaration of P. D. P. members from ward 8 to the All Progressive Congress (A. P. C) at the premises of Dan Abia same day.

Leader of the delegation, Mr. Ikon Assam said they were there to see Abia on a very vexed political issue of Local Government Chairmanship which the ward has been denied the opportunity to produce since the creation of Esit Eket as a Local Government Area.

Assam said “We know you (Abia) as a proponent of fairness and equity in the sharing formula of political positions in Esit Eket and we know that you are in support of Ward 1 producing the next Local Government Chairman, that’s why we have come to see you”.

He maintained that now is the turn of Ward 1 to produce a council chairman but that a powerful clique in Esit Eket controlled by one family wants to hijack the position to someone in ward 3 who has been a transition chairman for the past three years.

“ If nothing is done to address the injustice now, we will have no choice but to choose a political party that will enable us actualize our aspiration, the total absence of internal democracy in P. D. P. is killing the party in Esit Eket”, Mr. Assam said.

The host, Dan Abia thanked the delegation for the visit and trust reposed on him and assured that he will stop at nothing to ensure that Esit Eket is emancipated from the grips of a few powerful elites, adding that the All Progressive Congress (A. P. C) will welcome them if they decide to dump the P. D. P.

In a related development; over 2000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party P. D. P, same day decamped to the All Progressive Congress (A. P. C) at the premises of Dan Abia as a political leader of the party in Esit Eket.
Among those who decamped included Pastor E. O. Edem, the immediate past Ward 8 Chairman of P. D. P, Prince Emman Edoho, Hon Mike Eteudo, Hon Essien Essien and others.

Presenting the decampees to Dan Abia, ward 8 Chairman of A. P. C, Mr. Bassey Ewa said the entire ward belong to the A. P. C because the People were tired of waiting for endless promises of democratic dividends that never comes.
He thanked Mr. Dan Abia for giving Esit Eket the needed leadership in “the new dispensation and national movement for positive change”.

Mr. Uwem Edukere, a former staunch member of the P. D. P, now a State Caucus member of the All Progressive Congress A. P. C in his remark said more people will soon dump the P. D. P in Esit Eket because the government of Udom Emmanuel has disappointed the people.

Responding, Bassey Dan Abia thanked the decampees for their foresight and said that they have been given a hand of fellowship by their registration into A. P. C.

“A. P. C now belongs to you, manage the party by yourselves, produce all the aspirants by yourselves, in this platform, there is no imposition of candidate as long as A. P. C is concerned” Abia said, adding that he is not gunning for any elective political position in the land but that his motivation is for change.
“I want a change in the political Status quo in Esit Eket and indeed Akwa Ibom State. The present situation where the resources of State is concentrated in the hands of a few is undemocratic and unacceptable”, Abia said.