An Akwa Ibom leadership advocacy group, Ibom True Leadership Forum (ITLF), has cautioned that unless the current discord over the December 8, 2014 gubernatorial primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Akwa Ibom state is amicably resolved, the peace and convivial atmosphere enjoyed in the state may be compromised.
ITLF issued this warning in a statement it released in Abuja on Tuesday, December 16, 2014, after presenting a letter in Wadata House, National Headquarters of the PDP, pleading with the leadership of the party to rise to the occasion and address the grievances of the 22 governorship aspirants who are protesting alleged irregularities and the lack of transparency in the primary election in Akwa Ibom state.
The statement signed by the chairman of the group, Dr. Uwem Effiong, read in part: ” Akwa Ibom, as a Niger Delta state, has enjoyed relative peace and unity even in at a period when the zone was boiling as a result of youth restiveness and widespread agitation, so we plead with the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), under the leadership of Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, to exhibit responsible leadership by addressing the grievances of the 22 aggrieved gubernatorial aspirants in the state in order not to jeopardize the peace and unity that we enjoy in Akwa Ibom.
“The views of 22 out of 23 aspirants should not be ignored as if they don’t matter. PDP as a leading political party in Nigeria should at all times be a unifying factor and not one to sow seed of discord among its followers.
“The simple requests of the aspirants, as was publicized, is a plea for fair play, equity and transparency, in the process of electing who should fly the flag of the PDP in next year’s gubernatorial election in Akwa Ibom state.”
The group went further to add that ” such harmless and civil request which embodies the will of not only the aspirants but those of their teeming supporters and sympathizers, when swept under the carpet, would most likely result in a breach of peace, but also obviously be costly for the PDP in the general election where our son, President Goodluck Jonathan is seeking re-election.”
ITLF added that the PDP should help in deepening democracy by “always ensuring that all parties are given fair hearing, and should not be seen as favouring certain interest to the detriment of others.”
, has cautioned that unless the current discord over the December 8, 2014 gubernatorial primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Akwa Ibom state is amicably resolved, the peace and convivial atmosphere enjoyed in the state may be compromised.){kind=link}