Akwa Ibom: Group of 22 guber aspirants denies meeting with Buhari

A group of 22 aggrieved Akwa Ibom State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirants yesterday denied having a meeting with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), or any of his representatives.

The group said the allegation was fashioned to discredit its members as loyal party men by the same people that had denied them and Akwa Ibom people a free and fair primary election.
It reiterated in a jointly signed statement released in Abuja that its only request from the PDP leadership was for the party to redeem its credibility by nullifying the outcome of the December 8 exercise in the state, which the group described as “fraudulent, not transparent and a violation of the party’s rule on accreditation of delegates.”
The aspirants vowed not to be blackmailed or intimidated into jettisoning their legitimate quest for fair play, equity and justice in a democratic setting that ought to be rooted in fundamental human rights to fair hearing.
They said: “While having meetings with any individual or interest group is within our legitimate rights, and something that will not be thrown away in a hurry, we as faithful members of the PDP remain hopeful that the party will show leadership and responsibility in ensuring that grievances of its members are always expeditiously addressed and policy of inclusiveness pursued in the overall interest of the party, essentially in an election period like this.”
Apparently dissatisfied over the manner the December 8 primary election in the state was conducted, the 22 aspirants had been presenting a unified front in pursuing their case for justice.
It was gathered that last week, they held a meeting with the governor of the state, Godswill Akpabio, whose plea for them to accept the result of the controversial primary, was rejected.
Before the meeting with Akpabio, the group had also sent petitions to both the party leadership and President Goodluck Jonathan, stating reasons they rejected the primary election, which included the allegations that accreditation of delegates was done inside the government house and not at the venue of the exercise, thereby denying their agents access to the venue since they were not accredited.
The aspirants also alleged that delegates were not given ballot papers in the public glare, adding that already marked ballot papers were given to the delegates outside the venue to just dropped in the ballot boxes.
There is also a substantive suit in an Abuja High Court over the controversial primary, filed by one of the aspirants, Chief Ime Ekanem, and other such litigations that are still ongoing.