By Emmanuel Uffot
Barely a week after Senator Bassey Albert Akpan announced his defection from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Young Progressives Party (YPP), the party formally received him into their fold last week.
At the event which took place at Ifa Ikot Akpan, along Airport road, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State the national chairman of YPP Emmanuel Amakiri who was present at the event expressed his gladness and that of the party for having the caliber of person like Senator Albert in the party. He noted that YPP had come to stay in Akwa Ibom State and urged every young progressive citizen to take their destiny in their hands.
Amakiri, expressed pleasure over the overwhelming support the people had shown to Senator Akpan whom he said would liberate Akwa Ibom from its current quagmire.
One of the major highlights of the ceremony which had a large crowd in attendance was the stepping down of the state party chairman and governorship candidate Pastor Nyenime Andy for Senator Albert to carry the flag of the party in 2023 election.
Similarly, the event witnessed the decamping of former Chief of Staff to Governor Udom Emmanuel and Commissioner for Works Ephraim Inyangeyen, the member representing Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency, Hon Emmanuel Ukpong Udo and the lawmaker representing Ikono State Constituency, Hon Asuquo Nana Udoh all from PDP and hundreds of supporters to the YPP.
Addressing the gathering, Akpan who is the Senator representing Akwa Ibom North East (Uyo) district, said that in line with the electoral laws, he willingly offered himself as an aspirant in the upcoming primaries for substitution, following Andy’s withdrawal of his candidacy.
He assured the delegates that if given the chance at the primary, he will not disappoint the party, adding that as a governor, the civil servants would be treated to social justice and welfare.
He also assured the people of Eket, Uyo and Ikot Ekpene senatorial districts of fairness and equity in the next dispensation, stressing that if elected he would banish hunger, insecurity, hardship and injustice from Akwa Ibom.
Ephraim Inyangeyen, who spoke on behalf of other decampees, promised that together with Senator Albert fondly known as OBA, they we will make the difference. Inyangeyen’s defection to YPP with Albert confirmed the widely held suspicion that he was all along been the Ibiono-Ibom senator’s ally even while still in Governor Udom Emmanuel cabinet up to his appointment as Chief of Staff to the Governor. Indeed, his alliance with OBA even when the governor anointed his preferred candidate was one of the major reasons why he and his wife were booted out from their respective offices.
It could be recalled that senator Akpan who represents Akwa Ibom North East (Uyo) and chairs the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) had recently resigned from PDP citing lack of level playing field by the party in choosing the preferred candidate Pastor Umo Eno. He said since the party hierarchy in the state decided to adopt and favour only one preferred candidate before and during the governorship primaries, he was left with no other option than to move to another platform in pursuit of his governorship ambition.
His defection to YPP and the consequent stepping down of Pastor Andy as governorship candidate of the party, was a script written and endorsed before he made the move. Given the options available, YPP according to political pundits had remained the only feasible bride for him to go. This is because the All Progressives Congress,(APC) which remains the major opposition party in the state has been embroiled in crisis with a likelihood of the party not having a governorship candidate as INEC does not recognized the party primaries that produced Akan Udofia. Apart from that, the enormous power wielded by Senator Godswill Akpabio who uis blamed for the current woes of the party in the state, had made that party a no go area for Senator Akpan. Given the strength of other parties in the state, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP) would have been another option, but Senator John Akpan Udoedehe, former chieftain of APC had already defected to NNPP to pick their governorship ticket. Like Udoedehe, another perennial contestant Architect Ezekiel Nyaetok had gone to African Democratic Congress (ADC) to become the party gubernatorial flagbearer.
However, the defection of Senator Albert Akpan to YPP and his emergence as the flagbearer after the former who also doubled as the party state chairman stepped down and transferred the ticket to Senator Akpan is already raising dust among some members that are not comfortable with the development. This dissatisfaction has already led to the aggrieved party approaching a Federal High Court in Uyo to seek redress.
A lawyer who was a gubernatorial aspirant of the YPP in Akwa Ibom State, Barr Alexander Asuquo had before the stepping down played out, dragged Senator Bassey Albert to court over alleged attempt to inherit the Young Progressives Party ticket from the party chairman, Pastor Andy.
The lawyer is joining the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Pastor Nyenime Andy, Senator Bassey Albert and the Independent National Electoral Commission, as Defendants.
YPP had earlier submitted to INEC, the name of the state party Chairman, Nyenime Andy, as its Governorship Candidate.
The plaintiff is seeking judicial answers to questions bordering on whether the state chairman of the party can validly use his position as the chairman of the party to preserve and reserve the gubernatorial ticket of the party to Sen. Bassey Albert (3rd Defendant) who was already an aspirant under the platform of the PDP.
The aspirant and plaintiff said besides challenging the legality of the chairman’s action, he is asking the court to determine if after also filling and submitting a nomination form in PDP, Bassey Albert can be validly nominated by YPP in view of the provisions of Section 35 of the Electoral Act 2022.
“I’m not just a member but a gubernatorial aspirant under YPP who was received into the party by Dr. Andy himself.
“After being received into the party in February 2022, I noticed that almost everywhere I went for consultation I was told that the party belongs to OBA. I asked some party executives about OBA’s stake in the party but they dismissed it as a rumour.
“I then observed that the state chairman was allegedly working for OBA. He blocked me from the party machinery to enable him preserve the ticket for OBA. I wasn’t sure of the plan until the day the state chairman picked up YPP gubernatorial nomination form pretending that he is interested in running for governor.
“I was shocked when I realized that the rumour was true and decided to wait for them at the appropriate time. Now I want the court to determine whether what the chairman did in pretending that he wants to contest for governor when in fact he has no intention to run but to keep the ticket for OBA is lawful.
“I’m ready to go up to the Supreme Court over this issue because I believe it will set a bad precedent if not challenged. This is a novel provision I want the court to give judicial interpretation.
“If OBA wanted YPP’s ticket so badly, he ought to have resigned from PDP early enough and not after he allegedly failed to succeed in PDP and after I’ve already written to YPP to ventilate my reservation”.
The plaintiff told the court that the 2nd and 3rd Defendants (Pastor Andy and Senator Albert Akpan) were evading service of the court summons. After hearing the application the court adjourned the matter to August 30, 2022 for hearing and ordered hearing notice to be served on INEC and YPP accordingly. The court equally summoned both Senator Akpan and Pastor Andy to appear at the next adjourned date.
The prevailing case instituted by Asuquo against Senator Akpan’s emergence and the mode the ticket was transferred to him by the former aspirant, has already thrown concern among the camp of OBA. They are worried this baggage is not the reception they were expecting after what looked like a smooth sail by OBA to obtaining the YPP ticket from Andy.
But political followers, argue that even though there is merit in the case, given the war chest of the senator, there is a likelihood that Barrister Asuquo may be prevailed upon to withdraw the case and seek an in-house settlement. But the plaintiff has insisted that he is determined to pursue the case to the Supreme Court to seek legal interpretation to the prayers he raised. Infact, while keen followers are waiting with expectancy to see what the outcome will be, for OBA’s camp there is air of uncertainty and concern.
