Akwa Ibom: Etim Ekpo Boils As PDP Chief Clashes With Ex-Council Chairman

There is tension in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State as former National Legal Adviser of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Emmanuel Enoidem, a lawyer, and his erstwhile political son and former Chairman of the Local Government, Uduot Jack, are involved in a messy political combat for the political soul of the area.

Sources in the area told Naija News that as a result of the bitter political rivalry, small arms are proliferating in the area.

Some of the indigenes who did not want their names in print, alleged that the area has been a safe haven for cultists who have top politicians from the area as their sponsoring godfather.

While Enoidem is seeking to become the next senator representing Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, Jack is aspiring to represent Etim Ekpo/Ika State Constituency in the state House of Assembly come 2023.

Naija News further gathered that until early this 2022, Jack was a political son and ally of Enoidem, who is said to be the political demigod of Etim Ekpo. But, things fell apart, when his former boys led by Jack challenged the political dominance, authority and wisdom of the PDP chief. They went their different ways.

The media unit of Enoidem Senatorial Campaign Organization is however alleging a plot by the former council boss to eliminate their principal before the primaries that are scheduled for Wednesday, May 18.

“A PDP House of Assembly aspirant in the May 18, 2022 Etim Ekpo/Ika State Constituency primary plans, to eliminate the immediate past PDP National Legal Adviser, Barr Emmanuel Enoidem, before the May 18, 2022, State Assembly primaries.

“Uduot Jack on May 14, 2022, met and interacted with PDP delegates from his ward, where he solicited their votes in the forthcoming State Assembly primary of which he is contesting.

“We have it on record that when the delegates told him point blank that they will only vote whoever their leader, Barr Emmanuel Enoidem is supporting as far as the PDP primaries is concerned, Mr Jack boastfully told the delegates not to worry as he will ensure that Barr Enoidem is “taken out” before the primary and will not be “available” all through the primary in Etim Ekpo LGA.

“While we view this threat as not only ridiculous but insane, we call on Mr Uduot Jack, in his own interest, to perish any imaginary or conceived conspiracy to harm or assassinate Barr Emmanuel Enoidem as he boasted. He, of all persons, should know better that the consequences of such action is better imagined than experienced.

“We hereby remind Mr Jack, that he, like every other aspirant, is entitled to seek the ticket of the party through lawful and legitimate means but such right certainly does not include issuing threats to the life of anybody especially that of Barr Emmanuel Enoidem.”

They are calling on security agencies to investigate to hold Jack responsible if anything happens to the ex-PDP National Legal Adviser, while also urging their supporters to remain calm and vote the candidate(s) of their choice.

The Jack Campaign Organisation has quickly dismissed the allegation as “laughable”, claiming that their principal does not harbour any intention to eliminate any person for any reasons.

“Jack is a two-time Chairman of Etim Ekpo, a law-abiding and peace- loving citizen, a Deacon of the Qua Iboe Church, a reputable statesman whose pedigree is not in doubt in any means.”

“Jack as a grassroots politician and mobilizer who is loved, appreciated and genuinely celebrated by his constituents who are ready to throw their support to him in the forthcoming primaries/elections because of his unreserved kind dispositions towards them”, the campaign organization said.

Continuing, they claimed that Enoidem is frustrated by apparent panic of losing the party recruitment process because he has, allegedly been abandoned by his erstwhile lieutenants due to his ‘’selfish and arrogance style of leadership’’ which it said can no more be condoned by the people of Etim and Ika Local Government Areas respectively.

“We wish to state that Hon. Uduot Jack is not after Mr. Emmanuel Enoidem but that Mr. Emmanuel Enoidem like a proverbial child who don’t want his mother to sleep, may not also sleep, having gone round the entire senatorial districts of Akwa Ibom to endorse hundreds of aspirants and collected sacrificial rites and millions of naira in exchange for his false promises to give them tickets may at the moment be suffering from amnesia of what/who may be his existential problem and we are bothered that he may likely be exhibiting more attributes of insomnia in the days to come by alleging other innocent persons of being after his life’’, they added

They, therefore, wondered if Jack was contesting the senatorial ticket against Enoidem which should warrant the purported threat

“It is on record that in his desperate moves to frustrate Hon. Uduot Jack and intimidate his teeming delegates,Enoidem a fortnight ago, had started recruiting and arming some youths including the erstwhile perpetrators of the violent crimes that jeopardised the peace of Etim Ekpo/Ika Local Government Areas in 2017 who are now battle-ready to frustrate the peaceful conduct of the primaries while Enoidem is now seeking a possible avenue to indict Uduot Jack as the actual perpetrator by the sheer act of “giving a dog a bad name,” the statement alleged.

They equally asked the security agencies to dismiss as inflammatory and unsubstantial, the allegation against Jack and instead sought the activation of a discreet investigation against the person of Enoidem and his cohorts who are allegedly hatching a sinister plot to truncate the general peace of Etim Ekpo/ Ika for their selfish end of winning the forthcoming primaries at all cost.

This article was originally published on Nigeria News