Akwa Ibom: PDP chieftains reject reconciliation committee

Some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State have condemned the recently-constituted Reconciliation Committee for not accommodating representatives from aggrieved members.

In a briefing on Tuesday in Uyo, the state capital, the chieftains said the committee headed by Senator Effiong Bob is composed of only members of Maintain Peace Movement, MPM, a group in the party adding that it may not address the complaints of aggrieved members.

A former chairman of the House of Assembly Service Commission, Chief Andrew Unwanta, said the committee was meant to fail on its mission right from the start.

His words, “The committee to me is tilted towards MPM and I don’t think they really want to reconcile aggrieved members of the party because if they are sincere they could have also brought in people outside MPM.

“It could have been broadbased to accommodate people outside MPM, so for me the committee is merely an extension of the MPM structure. I have strong doubts if they really want genuine reconciliation because with what I am seeing in the membership of the committee the PDP leadership in Akwa Ibom do not actually want genuine reconciliation.

“This is important because they ought to have made the membership to include representation from aggrieved members who were disenfranchised especially during the ward congresses.”

Another chieftain and a governorship aspirant of the party, Chief Owodiong Idemeko, expressed doubts over the sincerity in setting up the committee but said he would still give them benefit of the doubt until they complete their task.

On complaints over the committee not being broad based Idemeko was quick to point out that the current leadership of the party in the state has never accommodated the interest of other people than those of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s favoured aspirant, Mr Umoh Eno.

“It has been like this right from the beginning. The right thing could have been to include representation from the aggrieved members. In my mind it is a winner takes all approach they have adopted but I don’t want to second guess, when the committee invites me I will say my mind.

“But before then we will wait and see what they will offer in terms of sincerity in addressing complaints of aggrieved members especially stakeholders who felt slighted with the way the party carried out the process of electing its gubernatorial flag bearer,” he stated.

Recall that the PDP had inaugurated an 11-man reconciliation committee to help the party address differences that may have arisen during the process of the just concluded party nominations.

State PDP chairman, Mr Aniekan Akpan, who acknowledged the existence of divergent concerns and grievances among members of the party, had expressed the commitment of the party in addressing disagreements adding that the umbrella of the party is big enough to cover everyone.