Akwa Ibom APC protest erupts as ward executives decry attempts to replace party leadership ahead of February congresses
Members of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State staged a protest on Wednesday over what they described as a clandestine attempt to dismantle existing party structures ahead of forthcoming congresses.
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Protesters, primarily serving ward and chapter executives, gathered at the Mkpat Enin Local Government Secretariat to oppose plans to impose new lists of officers for the party’s congresses scheduled for 18 and 21 February.
They carried placards calling on Governor Umo Eno to intervene, with slogans such as “We built the party, save us from illegal dissolution” and “Gov Eno, a man of peace, our support for you, Senate President Akpabio and President Tinubu for second term is not negotiable.”
Clement Okon Silas, an APC vice-chairmanship candidate in the 2024 local government elections, accused defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party of attempting to hijack the party.
He said such actions risked triggering internal crises that could weaken the party’s electoral standing.
“We are the goose that laid the golden egg. We suffered, laboured and built this party in Mkpat Enin. But barely six months after PDP bigwigs defected into APC, they are now plotting to evict us from the same party we struggled to grow,” Silas said.
Another protester, Ubong Inyang, described the alleged plot as “an ambush on APC structures” in the local government, warning it could escalate into a major embarrassment for the party.
Protesters lamented that loyal executives had not benefited from appointments, which they claimed were largely given to former PDP members.
At the conclusion of the demonstration, the protesters issued a communiqué reaffirming their loyalty to the Akwa Ibom State APC led by Obong Stephen Ntokekpo, Mkpat Enin chapter chairman Utitofon Jeremiah, and the party’s national leadership.
The communiqué urged Governor Eno, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to halt what they described as an “unprogressive plot” to destabilise the party.
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The protesters insisted that maintaining the current ward-to-chapter structures was essential for peace and warned that any attempt to impose new executives could fracture the party and undermine its electoral prospects.
