It appears diehard and key supporters of Obong Umana Okon Umana have ruled out the possibility of staying in the All Progressive Congress (APC) following what they described as being sidelined in the scheme of things in the Party.
Top sources close to Umana Umana told THE INK that there is no need to remain in the Party that has sidelined them in decision making processes, even as they lamented being sidelined in some appointments within agencies of government being headed by APC faithful.
It could be recalled that about a month ago, some APC youths, mostly those close to Umana Umana and Presidential aide, Ita Enang had taken to the social media to vent their frustration on the Party and how they have been taken for a ride.
Those who volunteered information to THE INK reporter said, it took the intervention of some elders whom themselves are not happy to have called the youths to order and preach peace with a promise that their anger will be addressed.
Those who met with the youths behind closed doors to placate them are said to have been former PDP Vice Chairman Chief Sunny Ibanga of Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, KufreAbasi Etuk, a former member of Uruan State Constituency is said to have also met with the aggrieved youths asking them to stand down their agitation as appointees of the Federal Government will meet with them to resolve every grey areas.
In the interim, the aggrieved youths were however given the sum of one hundred and twenty thousand naira each to remain calm. The source of the money was not disclosed to THE INK reporter, but our correspondents gathered on good authority that not less than two persons may have made contributions to appease the youths.
After the aggrieved youths had decided to allow peace a chance and agreed to stop the facebook commentaries that APC leadership viewed as very distracting, they were also tasked to work for the good of the APC and her subsequent victory during the 2019 guber election.
Youths of the Party, who were mostly of the Akwa Ibom Renaissance extraction however grudgingly accepted but insisted that henceforth, they must be carried along and integrated into the mainstream.
Their negotiators agreed and promised that they will be given contracts. They were asked to go and constitute themselves into groups so that when the contracts are given to them, they can sublet it to reliable construction firms and then share the proceeds amongst themselves.
Apart from the youths, some elders of note who drove Umana’s 2015 guber from PDP to APC are also not feeling funny about developments in the Party. They are angry that even when they appear to be faithful to the Party, that the drivers of the APC in Akwa Ibom State are unfair to them.
In a chat with THE INK reporter, these set of politicians said, “with the current situation, whereby unilateral decisions are taken outside the state and imposed on them, that they are now surplus to demand in the Party and hence a time for them to quit.”
We have to move on. They told our correspondents at different fora. Others like Chief Sunny Jackson (Jackson Devos), campaign DG to Umana Umana, Chief Sunny Udom, Abom Tony Esu, Dr. Emem Wilcox Wills who are all Umana’s strongmen hinted that the Party has been hijacked from them.
They averred that rather than rock the boat, they will remain as effective watchers of the unfolding drama.
They spoke at different fora with our correspondents while lamenting the darkness they have been put into in the Party and added that if things remain this way, they will be left with no other option than to take a decision and leave the Party. One of these leaders who spoke to our reporters said youths of the Party mostly of the Renaissance extraction were right when they opened fire using the social media.
Our source opined that if elders like themselves are treated without any consideration therefore they were not surprised that youths also suffer a similar or worse fate.
Some of the Elders even informed that the tempo in the APC is not what it is supposed to be even as they argued that but not for Umana, they would have since left the party.
When contacted, Publicity Secretary of the APC in Akwa Ibom State Samuel Udobong said their threat to leave serves them good. He said APC is not disappointed that they are threatening to quit. He blamed it on the greed of Amadu Attai and how he sold APC to the highest bidder.
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