The Peoples Democratic Party’s branch in Akwa Ibom State denied a social media report that claimed it and the state’s governor, Umo Éno, secretly celebrated Atiku Abubakar, the party’s candidate for president in the election on February 25, for exposing President Bola Tinubu‘s allegedly fake certificate.
The party pleaded with well-meaning Nigerians to reject this “ill-intentioned attempt” to involve the governor and the party in a legal dispute.
This was contained in a statement on Wednesday by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Borono Bassey, titled, ‘Re- Governor Umo Éno, Akwa Ibom PDP celebrate Atiku’s efforts for exposing Tinubu’s alleged fake certificate.’
“The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State was drawn earlier today, to an obviously fake news item being circulated on social media alleging that our party and the governor of Akwa Ibom State and leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, Pastor Umo Eno, were secretly celebrating Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s efforts in exposing President Tinubu’s alleged fake certificate
“We urge well-meaning Nigerians to ignore the ill-intentioned attempt to drag the governor of Akwa Ibom State and the state chapter of our great party, the PDP, into a matter that is undergoing the processes of law,” the statement read in part.
It, therefore, stated as follows: “That the matter which is the subject of the fake news is in court and therefore sub judice. By that very fact, neither the governor nor the Peoples Democratic Party at the state level is competent to comment on it.
“That the governor, Pastor Umo Eno as a law-abiding citizen, who believes in the supremacy of the law, has tremendous respect for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Bola Tinubu, the PDP whose platform Pastor Umo Eno was elected as governor and the presidential candidate of the party, His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.”
It stated further, “That the governor of Akwa Ibom State is not a party on record in the suit referred to in this risible rumour and therefore can only await the judgment of the court, and he will join in the usual respectful and deferential chorus of ‘As the court pleases’!!.”
