INTERVIEW: We’re positioning APC to take Akwa Ibom – Iniobong John

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Akwa Ibom State, through the years, has been enmeshed in inner disaster which has affected its probabilities of occupying the hilltop mansion and different elective places of work within the state. However, the chairman, media and publicity of the get together, Otuekong Iniobong John, on this interview with DAILY POST, expressed optimism that the get together will come out stronger and take over the state. Excerpts!

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has suffered plenty of setbacks in Akwa Ibom due to inner wranglings, are there steps being taken to deal with the problems?

You know that politics is a recreation of negotiation, alignment and realignment. There is certain to be battle, misunderstanding, fights and disaster. But the underside line is the decision of the battle. It will not be unusual to expertise all these in any political get together, however each affordable get together ought to from time to time arrange a equipment to reconcile aggrieved members again to the get together.

On our half, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, throughout APC stakeholders’ assembly within the Uyo Senatorial district on Thursday final week directed {that a} reconciliation committee ought to be arrange to deal with a number of the points rocking the get together within the state. I imagine that the chairman of our get together, Obong Stephen Ntukekpo, is working in direction of that.

We will make sure that anyone that’s reconcilable could be reconciled again; those that have the curiosity of the get together would absolutely categorical their grievances and I’m assured that the problems that will probably be raised shall be addressed. I imagine there may be mild on the finish of the tunnel; APC in Akwa Ibom will come out higher, stronger on the finish of the train. We will take over the state.

One of the contending points is who could be the chief of the get together within the state, has that been addressed?

This is a really obtrusive case, the chief of a political get together in a state is all the time the governor of that state; in a state of affairs the place the get together doesn’t have a governor, the very best rating political workplace holder from that state within the get together would be the chief. As of now, APC doesn’t have a governor in Akwa Ibom and the very best rating political workplace holder is Senator Godswill Akpabio, who’s the quantity three citizen within the nation. Not simply that, Akpabio is the one one who has been a governor within the get together, I imply on the state stage, so it’s undisputed that no different individual would come up now to battle that place with him.

Governor Umo Eno, on December 6, 2023, arrange a transition committee for native authorities administration, are you happy with that?

The thought of instituting a transition committee to run the affairs of native authorities councils is a breach of the structure. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended says that there shall be elected native authorities council to run the affairs of native authorities administration nationwide, so there was no provision for unelected native authorities officers anyplace and to that extent one can safely conclude that the contraption known as native authorities transition committee is unusual to the structure after which it’s argued that something that’s in battle with the provisions of the structure is null and void to the extent of the inconsistency.

It is an aberration, a contraption and unknown to the structure, so our get together being a believer in due course of and within the structure, we don’t imagine in that course of.

All issues being equal, AKISIEC following the directives of Gov Umo Eno would conduct LG elections by June, 2024, how ready is APC to seize not less than a number of native authorities areas within the state?

Well, you already know that nationwide, native authorities administration is understood to be unique enterprise of the get together in energy in that state as a result of the state electoral fee is created to serve the curiosity of the get together in energy. So you’ll agree with me that it’s all the time in very uncommon circumstances that you will note an opposition get together defeating the get together in energy in a neighborhood authorities election that’s performed by the electoral fee arrange to serve the curiosity of the get together in energy.

The Young Progressives Party, YPP, over the weekend collapsed its construction into APC and two of YPP candidates will probably be having a rerun subsequent month; is APC working in direction of supporting these candidates?

Well, the candidates involved- one from Ibiono Ibom State constituency and the Ikono/Ini federal constituency are nonetheless the candidates of the Young Progressives Party, YPP, they’ve not defected to APC but, so they’re squarely going through their elections and never a matter of APC. The incontrovertible fact that their chief defected to the APC doesn’t imply that each one of them are actually in APC; nonetheless, it’s believed that sooner or later, they are going to be part of their grasp to our get together, APC.