The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has
dissolved its state executive committee in Akwa Ibom, four months after
Governor Pastor Umo Eno defected to the All Progressives Congress
(APC).
Eno’s defection on June 6 ended the PDP’s
decades-long dominance in Akwa Ibom, a state it had controlled since the return
of civil rule in 1999. He became the second South-South governor to switch to
the APC in less than two months, following Delta State Governor Sheriff
Oborevwori.
Party justifies dissolution
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today,
PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba said the move was
necessary because the state executives had become compromised.
“In Akwa Ibom State, the governor has left. We have
noticed at the National Working Committee and party level that there seems not
to be a difference between the members of the executives in that state and
their alignment with the APC,” Ologunagba explained.
Quoting the PDP Constitution, he added:
“Section 10, subsection 6 says: ‘No member of the party shall align with
other parties or groups to undermine the party or any of its selected
government.’ It is an anathema that you will belong to two parties at the
same time.”
According to him, the PDP leadership believes the
state exco was under the governor’s control even after his defection.
“The governor said on tape that he will be in charge of the two parties,”
Ologunagba noted.
What’s next?
The party is expected to announce a caretaker
committee to oversee its affairs in Akwa Ibom ahead of fresh congresses, as
it seeks to reassert its presence in the state ahead of future elections.
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