By Emeka Samuel
The APC in Akwa Ibom have accused the PDP of creating a fake WhatsApp account meant to tarnish the image of the party and some of its leaders in the state.
But in a swift reaction, the PDP through its state publicity secretary Barr Ini Ememobong described the allegations as beer parlour talk adding that they would not join issues with him while no such WhatsApp group was created by the PDP and existed.
State party chairman, Mr Ini Okopido told a news conference in Uyo yesterday that the fake account allegedly created by state PDP publicity secretary Barr Ini Ememobong was meant to deceive the public into believing that the party sponsored and bribed students to protest against Governor Udom Emmanuel.
“A few days ago, our attention was drawn to the screenshot of a WhatsApp group, ‘Udom Till 2023,’ where Ini Ememobong, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, instructed his people to create a fake APC Account, using key leaders of our party, the APC, to create a fake, dubious and criminal conversation, purporting our party leaders to be engage in criminal activity.
“Let me quote a portion of that conversation which was initiated by Ini Ememobong: “Get trusted PDP members to do this… create an APC group, use their key leaders name and make a chat as if they sponsored NANS to carry out the writing of the propaganda letter, after which you make viral the screenshot copy. Do it well. #OnlyGod…”
“We have in our possession another screenshot of this fake WhatsApp group chat, ostensibly signed by PDP agents, but purporting same to have been a conversation between two APC elders, where they claimed that APC gave NANS president and NANS N600,000 to protest against the state government. This is pure criminality.” The chairman said.
Okopido also accused the PDP Governorship campaign council of stealing the manifestos of its governorship candidate Mr Nsima Ekere on students bursary and resuscitation of Akwa Palm industries.
“The governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Obong Nsima Ekere, had in his speech among many important policies and programmes, payment of bursary to Akwa Ibom students, which the PDP government under Udom Emmanuel has refused to pay since 2015. He also declared that he would ensure the immediate reactivation of the Akwa Palm Industries as one of his priorities.
“Today, what do we have? Our clueless Governor Udom has rushed to inaugurate a taskforce for the reactivation of that palm project. He gathered students, which he promised N31 million, to march in Uyo for him, promising to start paying bursary after all. We all know how that so called solidarity rally dissolved into fiasco, leading to mayhem, vandalism, injuries and breakdown in law and order.
“If officers and men of the Nigerian Police Force had not intervened to bring peace, we don’t know what would have happened to Uyo and its residents. We responded immediately sand we are still waiting for authorities to tell us the outcome of their investigations.
“I am drafting a formal petition to the law enforcement agencies to investigate this matter, because we cannot allow law breakers, in wanton disregard of our best tenets, to walk scot free and, worse still, determine who administers the affairs of the state.” He said.
Ememobong in his reaction also said that the plan to reactivate Akwa Palm was part of the five point agenda of Gov. Emmanuel adding that they would not be intimidated by threats of the APC to involve security agencies.
“No such WhatsApp group exists(to our knowledge) and never has such imaginary instructions been issued by the State Publicity Secretary. Akwa Ibom people do not need any instigation to reject the APC. When they see what their evil political coven has turned our country into, in addition to the anti-people policies propagated by a party which values the life of cows above human lives.
“On the issue of the reactivation of Akwapalm industries, it is most unfortunate for Ini Okopido to allege that the setting up of the task force for the reactivation of the failed company was an execution of the manifesto of his party’s Governorship candidate.
“The industrialization drive has been the fulcrum of the current administration, which has been religiously pursued since her inception, using a two pronged approach of reactivation of failed industrial concerns and establishment of new industries. In the early days of his administration, the Governor reactivated Peacock paints and has gone on to attract countless industries to the state. This disposition is aptly captured in the five point agenda of the Governor, as published in 2014.
“We will not be intimidated by petitions to security agencies by the opposition party in the state. We can announce very early that, their intimidation plans are Dead On Arrival. We will be available for investigation, when invited. We hope that the matter ends in court so that we can produce evidence that will help show the world the true character of the political jobbers that constitute the ‘broom party’. We hope that Mr. Okopido remembers that until recently, the police station was not his favourite visiting location, because of his role in the Rock city and concerned citizen imbroglio that led to the carnage that occurred in Ika local Government Area, many years ago.” He said.
