A governorship aspirant for the 2023 general election in Akwa Ibom State, Senator Bassey Akpan, has raised the alarm over the alleged intimidation and harassment of delegates by some members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.
Akpan said some party officials had resorted to cajoling statutory delegates and threatening them with sanctions ahead of the primary.
The Director-General of Akwa Ubok Abasi Campaign Organisation, Archbishop Andrew Uwanta, who disclosed this at a press conference in Uyo, noted that such an ugly trend started after Governor Udom Emmanuel announced the Commissioner of Lands and Water Resources, Pastor Umo Eno, as his preferred candidate in the 2023 governorship election in the state.
“The recent and ugly activities of some Akwa Ibom State government and party officials, calling meetings as well as reaching out to some party members mostly statutory delegates to direct them against freely associating with other members of the party and also threatening and intimidating them with violent and illegal sanctions such as delisting, suspension and prevention from participating in voting at party primary election of which they are legitimate delegates is unfortunate, irrational, unconstitutional, null and void,” he said.
Reacting, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Borono Bassey, assured that the party would provide a level playing ground to all aspirants in the state.
Bassey added, “Our reaction as a party is that there is a need for a level playing ground. We have said this severally, because as a party, we have constitutional procedures which we go through, like the nomination process which is open to everyone, so the truth is why do we want to intimate and harass anyone? As a party, we are urging every aspirant to go to the field and make wider consultations and we are assuring every aspirant of the level playing ground.”
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