…Workers cry out for 6months unpaid wages..
By Ephraim Ikpe for nextreporter
The ruling APC at the centre seems to be passing through real trying times judged from the many troubles the Party is courting from different quarters beginning from states to the national body.
Observers of the trend of events in the APC have hurriedly concluded that the Party’s problem may not be separated from its many fragments which merged into one body some years ago.
They have said that CPC, ACN, ANPP et al all joined to become APC. The interests of these political blocs need be served for there to be cohesion. But that seems not feasible judged from the recent list of appointees released by the APC government in which some of the political blocs were not accommodated.
Analysts have variously observed that Senator Ahmed Tinibu is not happy the way things are going in Buhari’s government. Tinibu allegedly expressed his anger that appointments did not take cognizance of persons in the political bloc he brought to the APC marriage.
His relationship with the President sometime ago is said to have soured.
While the intrigues and antics in the centre have moved the crescendo of the APC troubles to the point of a mega Party being contemplated by Tinibu and Atiku et al, some politicians this paper interacted with in the course of this report said even a top politician in the National Assembly from Akwa Ibom, himself a former governor of the state, was allegedly involved in the making of the mega Party expected to blossom sometimes in September this year.
The APC national headquarters, as a result of issues believed to have torn interests of political blocs apart for many months now, is allegedly abandoned by Party faithful hence bringing Party activities there to a lull.
The inability of the Party to hold a national convention after the last postponement for lack of funds is instructive index that all is not well with the corruption war ‘monster’.
APC is equally coming under attack in the past few days by many Nigerians for seemingly fighting a corruption war which result seems a mirage and its positive impact not felt by the ordinary people in Nigeria.
For a N15billion found in an Ikoyi apartment with nobody accepting to be the owner, at the same time NIA claiming to be the owner, and yet the owner of the apartment has become a mystery, is a shocking revelation.
Over here in Akwa Ibom it has not been that easy with the ruling Party at the centre. The APC in Akwa Ibom is soaked in a battle of who truly is in control. While Atuekong Don Etiebet claims to be in charge, Senator John James Akpanudoedeghe charges that he could not be overthrown by joiners of a Party he built with his money, raw guts, brigandage and courage while the joiners were in PDP attacking and plotting against him.
It was believed that the Don Etiebet versus Udoedeghe fight had ended when former Acting President Osinbajo visited Akwa Ibom as both political chieftains were seen hugging themselves from the Airport to the Banquet hall. But all that glitters is not gold. That war of supremacy is still raging and Senator Udoedeghe is not shifting grounds.
He seems to curry sympathy from the foundation members of the APC who were formally of ACN in Akwa Ibom State.
However, Nsima Ekere is locking up horns with Senator Nelson Effiong who is also believed to be eyeing the Hilltop Mansion in 2019.
Nsima is loved by Umana Umana who may not be interested in the Hilltop Mansion in 2019 but is alleged to be planning to defect back to the PDP to run for the Senate in 2019 while supporting Nsima Ekere for governorship in 2019. Nsima Ekere’s supporters and Senator Nelson Effiong allegedly clashed not long ago during an argument about the supremacy of their bosses with regards to who would stand the 2019 race under the APC ticket.
A week ago it was drama and trouble for APC in Akwa Ibom as the Party’s Secretariat was agog with sympathizers of the staff of the Party who cried out that 6 months salaries owed them should be paid. The staffers of the APC in the state were said to have been fed up with their unpaid salaries for almost seven months, even though defectors have been donating money to the Party.
Those who spoke to our reporter said Nsima Ekere, NDDC Managing Director and Senator Nelson Effiong donated monies to the APC Akwa Ibom State and nobody knew what such monies were used for while their salaries are still not paid after working for seven months.
“how can somebody work for over seven months without collecting even a month of what we have worked for, what do they take us for, they don’t have human interest because if they have they would have considered that many of us working here are family owners God will punish them’’ one of the workers named Mercy querried.
One Eka Udo told our reporter that it was when they repeatedly asked for their money and threatened to protest that the State Secretary of the Party ordered the security men after them and they scampered through the window for safety.
The Party Secretary, when reached by our reporter refused to talk but only said it was the State Chairman who was not around that was the person competent to comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, there appears to be defections and counter defections. People have been defecting from PDP to APC and from APC to PDP. The latest is the defection from APC to PDP in Ibesikpo Asutan last week. There were defections of APC members to PDP in Ikot Ekpene and vice versa.
A few People defected in Uyo to APC and yet at the Easter get-together organized by Prince Enobong Uwah two days ago Barr Aniedi Ndem, former House of Assembly member, Uyo State Constituency observed that PDP members in Uyo were still intact.
A week ago 458 remaining members of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oruk Anam emptied themselves into the state ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the inauguration of Supreme Council of Oruk Anam Youth leaders.
Receiving them on behalf of the party, the State Chairman of PDP Obong Paul Ekpo welcomed them to PDP and urged them to support the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel.
The defectors burned their brooms before Her Excellency, Mrs. Martha Udom Emmanuel, PDP State Chairman, Obong Paul Ekpo and entire Oruk Anam PDP.
Observers of political development in the capital city are of the opinion that Alhaji Modu Sherriff is a surrogate of the APC in PDP coming for a spoil and that PDP would have picked it bits and peiece by now but not for the fact that Sheriff’s infractions hve stood in the gap agains the Party’s progress.
This could have necessitated the plan B led by Tinibu and Atiku for a mega Party in the offing which, like a tsunami will witness mass movement of persons from both parties to the new destination before 2019. But most of those interviewed in the course of this report affirm that whether there is a plan A or B that governor Udom Emmanuel will still take the shine because of his sincerity, integrity and performance
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