PDP begins rebuilding process in Akwa Ibom

Etim Ekpimah

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has begun rebuilding the party as committed members still believe in the ideals of PDP, once seen as a religion in Akwa Ibom State.

The party suffered setbacks as Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State defected from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Members have expressed dismay about the governor’s decision to leave the party for no cogent reason.

Checks reveal that some PDP chieftains recently paid a visit to the acting national chairman of the party in Abuja, Umar Damagum, and other top officials as part of the rebuilding process.

Some PDP members have also gathered recently to mark the birthday of the party’s state chairman, Mr Aniekan Akpan, at his residence in Uyo.

The event attracted top party leaders, including Mr Emmanuel Enoidem, former national legal adviser of the party, Comrade Ini Emembong, former publicity secretary of the party in Akwa Ibom State and Commissioner for Special Duties and Ibom Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom State, as well as Chief Chris Abasieyo, also a former Commissioner for Information, among other party stalwarts.

Confirming the rebuilding process, Dr Tom Fredfish, a chieftain of the party, told journalists in Uyo that though the party was disappointed by the defection of the governor, he noted that PDP had jettisoned the defection saga and had commenced consultations towards moving the party forward.

Fredfish, who is the convener of the party’s Advocate for Peace and Justice, revealed that committed members of the party were bent on picking up the pieces, adding that the party was still in existence and waxing strong in Akwa Ibom State.

“PDP is still existing, and people remaining in PDP are people of integrity. People who are committed to the party, who know how to rebuild, who can build the party to become what it used to be before the exit of certain persons. I see PDP becoming strong, I see a future in PDP in Akwa Ibom State, if what is being planned is done properly,” he said.

He said, however, that “some bad eggs” within the party should be shown the way out to enable the party to move forward faster, adding that all issues affecting the PDP at the national level would be resolved during the party’s national convention.

He suggested that the party’s board of trustees should go to court and claim the states that have seen their governors defect to the APC, noting that the framers of the Nigerian constitution might not have envisaged state governors defecting to another party after being elected on another party’s platform.

While commending the governor for the series of humanitarian services being implemented in the state, including the building of schools and health centres across the state, he said: “The framers of the Nigerian Constitution did not envisage that somebody occupying the office of the governor would escape from his party for another.

“This is why the constitution did not insert any clause to protect a political party that won an election to reclaim its mandate in case of defection in court, because they never believed that a governor given a ticket on one party would decide that he does not want his party again.  PDP should go to court and claim its mandate,” he said.

While commending Governor Eno for the series of humanitarian services and the construction of primary schools and the renovation of primary healthcare centres, he advised him to do more in terms of expanding the capital city’s infrastructure to accommodate more people as the population of the city continues to grow.

According to him, instead of the state government planning to build an international hospital, it should rather consider establishing a second health facility in Uyo to provide more people access to healthcare, adding that the state already has a specialist hospital, which he said is beyond the reach of ordinary people of the state.

“Uyo is getting congested; the governor should be able to close the gap between Uyo and the nearby local government areas. He should open new areas for people to have access to a new form of labour and manpower.

The new international hospital is uncalled for. Uyo, as the capital city, does not have a hospital. So that the grassroots man that the governor wants to touch can have access to such a hospital. Have many ordinary people never gone to the Ibom specialist hospital?

The governor should refrain from building an international hospital and should rather build a general hospital in  Uyo, so people can have access to secondary healthcare facilities.