Breaking: Nsima Ekere orders A'Ibom APC chieftains to boycott Oku Ibom coronation

...You're shooting self in the foot - Caucus members tell NDDC boss

Less than 24 hours to the sacred coronation of His Eminence, Nteyin Solomon D. Etuk, JP as Oku Ibom Ibibio and President General, Supreme Council of Ibibio Traditional Rulers and Patriarch of Ibibio Nation, Akwa Ibom state APC governorship candidate, Mr Nsima Ekere is facing stiff rebellion within his party following an order he allegedly handed down ordering APC chieftains in the state not to attend the monarch's coronation.

The directive is however being strongly resisted by some Ibibio APC chieftains who warned the former deputy governor to stop following Senator Godswill Akpabio's advice of dividing the state between ethnic lines and giving directives capable of jeopardizing the more the party's fortunes ahead of 2019.

Mr. Ekere was alleged to have spoken on phone to some key members of the Akwa Ibom APC caucus on Saturday night, asking them to prevail on party members to boycott the event, for what inside sources termed, 'fear that the monarch may make a solemn proclamation at the event that may not go down well with the APC come 2019.'

It is not immediately clear if senior APC chieftains like Mr Umana Okon Umana, Senator J.J. Udoedeghe, Senator Ita Enang, Engr Ita Awak, accepted Ekere's plea. The caucus chairman, Otuekong Don Etiebet did not reply to media enquiry of his position on the matter as at Saturday night.

But a caucus member from Uyo senatorial district who pleaded anonymity when asked by our reporter said, such directive by Ekere was misplaced, divisive and clannish as there is no way party leaders will listen to him on the issue at this point in time.

'It only shows the level Akpabio has polluted his mind and this is a clear indication that the former governor is indeed APC's greatest enemy and destroyer.'

'I doubt if any right thinking Ibibio son or daughter who is in APC will listen to Ekere and boycott the coronation of the new Oku Ibom Ibibio just to please Akpabio. Some of us are members of the Planning Committee and we were so appointed not because we are APC members but because we are Ibibio's. It is time Ekere looks beyond Akpabio and stop taking counter productive actions like adopting Akpabio's aged-long divide and rule tactics against the Ibibio nation'.

'But you must also understand that owing to how the former occupant of the stool died, Senator Akpabio and some APC chieftains have a moral burden attending the coronation', he said.

He insisted that while Akpabio has the moral burden and guilt that may make his attending the ceremony almost impossible, it is improper for Ekere as the party's governorship candidate to try to compel or force other APC chieftains not to attend. 'The celebration is not about APC or PDP but the future of the Ibibio nation and the unity it brings back to the state. Whoever advised him to hand down this directive is Ekere's worst enemy and if you look further, that person is Akpabio,' he declared.

Second hand politicians indeed.

Use and dump is their case study.

That's how Akwa Ibom people will abandon him during the forth coming governorship election