A meeting of Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State summoned by the State Caretaker Committee Chairman, Dr Ita Udosen, ended in a fiasco, yesterday, Propeller Newspapers gathered.
The meeting held at Sheer Grace Events Centre in Uyo Sunday evening, flopped when Sam Ewang (Rtd), a former military governor of Ogun and Rivers States, was denied the opportunity to speak at the meeting.
It was learnt that when Ewang was prevented from speaking, he stormed out of the meeting, and other key stakeholders of the party present at the meeting including the sole Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), Mr Effiong Akwa also left the venue of the meeting.
However, among key stakeholders of the party at the meeting were Senator John Akpanudoedehe Umana Okon Umana, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang.
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio who was officially endorsed as Leader of the Party in the state was however absent at the Stakeholders meeting which was allegedly organised to address issues bedeviling the party.
When contacted, Ewang who spoke angrily replied: “They called for a stakeholders meeting and I went. They allowed many people to speak and when I wanted to speak, they didn’t allow me. And in annoyance, I decided to leave the venue of the meeting.
“Despite all that they said to condemn what I did and all that, and they didn’t allow me to respond, to tell them why I did what I did, I just stormed out of the meeting.
“And it was an open invitation for stakeholders and I got an invitation too. Some of them were making accusations, saying all manner of things
“They even attacked the sole administrator because he told them the truth that there was no appropriate APC registration of candidates and revalidation in the state. And when I stood up and said I must speak, they refused so I stormed out.”
Also contacted, a two-term member of House of Representatives, and APC candidate for Uyo Senatorial district in the last general elections, Elder Bassey Etim, described what transpired at the flopped meeting as condemnable.
Etim said he believed the meeting was deliberately convened to witch-hunt and undermine the authority of some key stakeholders and elders of the party in the state especially Senator Godswill Akpabio and Sam Ewang.
“For a Caretaker Committee to summon a stakeholders meeting, appoint the youths to speak, and tactically denied an elder the opportunity to speak is condemnable, it is illegal.
“Aside from that, nobody even addressed the issue of why Senator Godswill Akpabio was not in that meeting. I know they are trying to dent the image of Godswill Akpabio.
“The Caretaker Committee Chairman kept repeating that the meeting where Akpabio was endorsed the leader of the party in the state on March 28 was illegal.
“How can a meeting convened by a personality like Group Captain Sam Ewang ( Rtd) a member of the Board of Trustees of the party be illegal? So I personally condemn what transpired today”.
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