By Ogenyi Ogenyi, Uyo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom has described as malicious and fake a media publication purporting that Governor Udo Eno was secretly celebrating Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s efforts in exposing President Bola Tinubu’s alleged fake certificate.
This is even as the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ekerete Udoh, has said that the allegation was a deliberate plan by unnamed persons to cause a rift between the President and the Governor and challenged the writer to produce evidence of such a discussion.
In a statement endorsed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Mr. Borono Bassey, in Uyo on Wednesday, the PDP reminded the public that the matter, which is the subject of the fake news, remained in court and therefore sub judice, adding that neither the Governor nor the PDP at the state level is competent to comment on it.
“The Governor, as a law-abiding citizen who believes in the supremacy of the law, has tremendous respect for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Alhaji Bola Tinubu, the PDP whose platform Pastor Umo Eno was elected as Governor, and the Presidential candidate of the Party, His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
“The Governor of Akwa Ibom State is not a party on record in the suit referred to in this risible rumour and therefore can only await the judgment of the court, and he will join in the usual respectful and deferential chorus of ‘As the court pleases!!'”
“We urge well-meaning Nigerians to ignore the ill-intentioned attempt to drag the Governor of Akwa Ibom State and the State Chapter of our great Party, the PDP, into a matter that is undergoing the processes of law,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Udoh in his own statement described the allegations as “false, malicious, and intentionally concocted to satisfy the writer’s sponsors, who are shocked by the warm relationship that exists between the father of our Nation, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and Pastor Umo Eno, Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
“At no time, at the PDP Stakeholders’ meeting that took place yesterday, was any such issue as maliciously reported by the faceless reporter ever tabled or discussed. We challenge the writer to provide recorded evidence of such discussions.
“We are aware of the plots of certain individuals in the State who have sworn to manufacture lies against Governor Umo Eno, so as to cause a rift between the Government of Akwa Ibom State and the Federal Government. This is very sad and unfortunate.
“We wish to reiterate the fact that His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, as a pastor, does not engage in small talks. He respects constituted authority and, as a bridge-builder who has worked across party lines since he was sworn in, would never engage in such partisan glib talks,” it said.”
