Ibiono Ibom Chairmanship: Ini Ememobong fingered in fresh plot to unseat EkomAbasi Akpan:
Ahead of the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (PDP) local government primary, tension is already building up in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area following alleged plot to stop the second term bid of the incumbent Chairman of the Council, Mr EkomAbasi Akpan.
Ini Ememobong-EkomAbasi Akpan feud:
Morenews learnt that the unresolved feud between the Chairman and the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ini Ememobong has degenerated into a serious battle for supremacy between the two great sons of Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.
A Source closed to the chairman alleged that Ini Ememobong who is the immediate past Publicity Secretary of PDP did not support the candidacy of the chairman in his first term and is now doing everything possible to stop the Chairman from succeeding in his second term bid despite several attempts to appease the Commissioner.
He further stated that it took the intervention of the Senator representing Uyo Senatorial District, Senator Bassey Albert for the Chairman to scale through the party’s nomination in his first term.
While noting that the commissioner who is not relenting in his efforts to remove the chairman having anointed the incumbent Vice Chairman of the Council, Mr. Udoatan Dominic Asuquo to challenge Mr EkomAbasi Akpan at the poll, the source added that the Commissioner has vowed to ensure that EkomAbasi Akpan does not return as council chairman.
Alleged N5 million mismanagement:
Part of the strategies to paint the Chairman, Mr EkomAbasi Akpan black, the source claimed, is a plot to accuse him of embezzlement of funds amounting to about N5 million meant for the development of the area. The source however described such allegation as unfounded and unsubstantiated.
2023 Factor:
It was also alleged that the Chairman is receiving 2023 bullets fired at Senator Bassey Albert’s governorship ambition because of his close association with the senator.
The source alleged that the commissioner is acting the scripts of those who are against OBA’s governorship ambition and are hellbent to stop him by stopping whoever is suspected to be his strong supporter.
Other collaborators:
It was also learnt that there are other politicians who are allegedly working with Ini Ememobong to stop the chairman’s second return.
Prominent among those named by our sources include the immediate past member representing Ibiono Ibom State Constituency in the state House of Assembly, Mr Ime Okon and the incumbent member, Mr Ime Ekpo among others.
The alleged collaborators are said to be people working seriously against the 2023 governorship ambition of the senator.
“They are also working seriously to frustrate the chairman’s second return into the council,” a source noted.
OBA’s Intervention:
Another source told Morenews that the plot is also to scheme senator Albert out of the affairs of Ibiono Ibom PDP so as to break his political wings.
According to him, the chairman is said to be a strong supporter of OBA who must be stopped.
But in what seems like a swift intervention by Senator Bassey Albert who recently took charge and called on the people to rally behind Mr EkomAbasi Akpan to succeed in his second term ambition. This has restored sanity to the polity in the area, source noted.
He noted that it will be injustice to deny the council chairman the opportunity to return to the council for another four years as allowed by the constitution.
