By Emeka Samuel
The All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom has called on President Mohammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the state.
They have also called for the removal of Governor Udom Emmanuel from office.
A statement endorsed by the state party chairman Mr Ini Okopido made available to newsmen in Uyo on Wednesday said the call became necessary because Emmanuel could not resolve the crisis in the state Assembly which he instigated.
Okopido said that the Governor calling on Buhari to solve the problem he created for himself is “childish and amateurish”
“As the leading political party in Akwa Ibom State, we are shocked, embarrassed and petrified by the crisis that has engulfed our State House of Assembly in the last one week, and from all our investigations, we wish to state categorically that Gov. Udom Emmanuel is solely responsible for this crisis and so he should bear full responsibility for it.
“Since Udom Emmanuel instigated this crisis by pressuring Mr Onofiok Luke to declare the seats of the APC legislators vacant, both of them should solve the problems. Calling on the President to intervene in the crisis they created is childish and amateurish.
“Should the governor fail to address this problem, we call on the President to declare a State of Emergency in Akwa Ibom state and subsequently remove Udom Emmanuel from Office.
“Udom Emmanuel has not only flouted the law and breached the principle of separation of powers by invading the House of Assembly with murderous gang of thugs; the governor himself appears to be too unwell to occupy the exalted office.” Okopido said.
He alleged that the governor went to the Assembly accompanied by a large crowd of thugs, some policemen, officials of the DSS and some of his Commissioners and other government officials to cause chaos alleging that the five APC lawmakers were beaten up by the Governor’s thugs, obviously on the orders to the governor.
The APC chairman said to worsen the situation the governor went to government house and addressed the press indicting the new commissioner of police and asking for his redeployment and alleged that the crisis is orchestrated by the APC.
While condemning the call by Governor Emmanuel for the redeployment of the commissioner of police the chairman express confidence in the new Commissioner of Police who arrived the State only a few days ago on his new posting.
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Noting that Senator Godswill Akpabio has no habd in the Assembly crisis Okopido said the governor’s resort to heaping insults and abuse on him is amounts to creating distraction.
“Since Senator Akpabio left the PDP in August, our governor has been so psychologically deflated that he blames the distinguished senator for all his afflictions, including his family problems”
In his reaction to the declaration of state of emergency, Ekerete Udo, the Chief Press Secretary, to Emmanuel described the call as laughable.
“The laughable plot to declare a state of emergency in Akwa Ibom by the APC has being the sole motivating impulse in the violence and the charade they are currently pushing in the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly.6
“Thank God the good people of Akwa Ibom state have seen through their machination and they have failed miserably. Governor Udom Emmanuel stated this forcefully and persuasively in his world press conference on Tuesday that the APC to deploy the federal might to rig the election.
“This evil plot will not succeed as our people are ready to defend our hard fought democracy with every fibre in us. Akwa Ibom state is peaceful and it is ludicrous and laughable for the APC to talk about the state of emergency”He said.
