Follow Us on Google
From Isaac Job, Uyo
Chieftains of the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have begun regrouping and rebuilding to counter recent defections and reposition the party for the 2027 general elections.
Last week, committed members who remain loyal to the party’s ideals, once revered as a “religion” in the state, visited the state chairman, Hon. Aniekan Akpan, in Uyo to strategise.
Sources indicate that other party chieftains recently met with the acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, and other top PDP officials in Abuja, marking the first step in the rebuilding process.
A recent gathering to celebrate Aniekan Akpan’s birthday at his Uyo residence drew prominent leaders, including Barrister Emmanuel Enoidem, former national legal adviser; Comrade Ini Ememobong, former state publicity secretary and immediate past commissioner for information; and Chief Chris Abasieyo, also a former commissioner for information, among other stalwarts.
Dr. Tom Fredfish, a PDP chieftain and convener of the party’s Advocate for Peace and Justice, confirmed the rebuilding efforts to journalists in Uyo. He expressed disappointment over Governor Umo Eno’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) but stated that the party has moved on and begun consultations to rebound.
Other News
“PDP is still existing, and people remaining in PDP are people of integrity. People that are committed to the party, who know how to rebuild, who can build the party to become what it used to be before the exit of certain persons. I see PDP becoming strong, I see a future in PDP in Akwa Ibom State if what is being planned is done properly,” Fredfish said.
He suggested expelling “some bad eggs” within the party to accelerate progress and anticipated that national-level issues would be resolved at the PDP’s national convention. Fredfish also urged the party’s Board of Trustees to pursue legal action to reclaim states lost to gubernatorial defections, arguing that the Nigerian Constitution did not anticipate governors abandoning their elected platforms.
“The framers of the Nigerian Constitution did not envisage that somebody occupying the office of the governor would escape from his party, and that is why the constitution did not insert any clause to protect a political party that has won because they never believed that a governor given a ticket on one party would decide that he does not want his party again. PDP should go to court and claim its mandate,” he said.
While commending Governor Eno for humanitarian initiatives, including building schools and renovating primary healthcare centres, Fredfish advised him to focus on expanding Uyo’s infrastructure to accommodate the city’s growing population. He criticized plans for an international hospital, suggesting instead a general hospital in Uyo to improve access to secondary healthcare, as the existing Ibom Specialist Hospital is unaffordable for many residents.
“Uyo is getting congested; the governor should be able to close the gap between Uyo and the nearby local government areas. He should open new areas for people to have access to a new form of labour and manpower. The new international hospital is uncalled for. Uyo as the capital city does not have a hospital. So that the grassroots man that the governor wants to touch can have access to such a hospital. Many ordinary people have never gone to the Ibom Specialist Hospital. The governor should refrain from building an international hospital but should rather build a general hospital in Uyo, so people can have access to secondary healthcare facilities,” he said.
