Ezekiel Nyaetok: ADC remains alternate force in Akwa Ibom
The governorship candidate of African Democratic Congress, ADC, Arc. Ezekiel Nyaetok, has posited that the party has presented a strong and credible alternative to Akwa Ibom people ahead of the 2023 general elections, stressing that ADC can boast of different plans and incentives, a clear departure from the conventional gimmicks the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and All Progressives Congress, APC, have offered over the years.
Arc. Ezekiel Nyaetok stated this in Uyo while dismissing the insinuation making the rounds that ADC structures in Akwa Ibom have been handed over to the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Senator J. J. Akpanudoedehe.
The Akwa Ibom ADC governorship hopeful described the story as absolute falsehood from the pit of hell, warning that on no account will ADC structures be collapsed to any party.
He noted that the rumour was part of an attempt to stop the influx of Akwa Ibom people into ADC given the rising profile of the party in the state, a scheme he said was too late.
Arc. Ezekiel Nyaetok said he had received several calls from highly placed individuals in the state, seeking to know those flying the flags of the party in the 2023 elections with a view to wooing them, maintaining that ADC structures in Akwa Ibom State are intact and poised to challenge PDP and APC, which he described two sides of the same coin, in the election.
He, however, denied being wooed by or collecting money from the national leadership of NNPP to collapse Akwa Ibom ADC structures to Senator Akpanudoedeghe.
“The story making the rounds, that a very good friend of mine, Alhaji (Rabiu) Kwankwaso, had called me, settled me with a few billion (of naira), and subsequently gotten me to endorse the candidate of his party in Akwa Ibom State is in bad faith. The allegation, as earlier mentioned, is weighty in more ways than one. ADC is a party that is built around integrity, service, and sacrifice.
“Many Nigerians, and in Akwa Ibom State have made unquantifiable sacrifices to build the party to the brand and standard that can be celebrated by leaders that can be considered to be great by assessment. It would, therefore, be the height of betrayal for one to sell the sweat and faith, equity of these noble Akwa Ibomites,” Arc. Ezekiel Nyaetok maintained.
While admitting that he has a personal and political relationship with the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Arc. Ezekiel Nyaetok regretted that the media report on the purported collapse of Akwa Ibom ADC structures for Senator John Akpanudoedghe is political propaganda taken too far.
“Kwankwaso is a very close friend of mine. When he got into politics to contest, we formed what we called the National Movement and if you saw the live telecast of that National Movement, I was the person that spoke on behalf of the South-South. That was the level of relationship and position I occupied in the National Movement. During that period I did everything possible to get him to join my party, African Democratic Congress (ADC) but he gave me good reasons why he would rather have a different structure. Expectedly, he also spoke with me extensively if I could join the party.
“I had come to Akwa Ibom and set up ADC from inception and done everything to bring the party to where it was. Anybody who could not join me in ADC would not have me in another party.
“Kwankwaso is a very understandable friend…So we maintain our relationship as friends, where we agree to disagree where the parties are concerned. That is the position we maintain till today as friends,” he said.
The social governance advocate insisted that Senator John Akpanudoedghe should have done better to stop the propaganda from getting to the press.
