*A'Ibom guber: PDP members protest, rejects choice of Deputy*

_First Media Naija Tv | June 4, 2022 | Uyo_

The crisis over the emergence of Pastor Umo Bassey Eno as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State has taken another dimension.

This is as the members in Oron Federal Constituency are now more divided over the party’s alleged preferred choice of deputy governorship candidate.

Supporters of Senator Akon Eyakenyi who is an indigene of Oron LGA, took to Facebook on Friday to congratulate the Senator, saying she had been selected by the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) and ratified Akwa Ibom State Executive Council as the deputy gubernatorial candidate of the party for the 2023 gubernatorial election in the State.

However, PDP members in the four local governments in Oro ethnic nationality (Okobo, Mbo, Udung Uko and Urueoffong Oruko) who are loyal to Governor Udom Emmanuel are protesting on social media over what they described as marginalization of the other four local government areas, should an indigene of Oron Local Government be nominated as deputy governorship candidate.

Oron Local Government having produced a Federal Minister, two term Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, two term Commissioner, and recently House of Representative candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Martin's Esin.

The protesters in Oro Federal Constituency described the proposed deputy governorship candidate as injustice against the people of the other four local government areas in Oron Federal Constituency.

The protesting members, who had alleged that the choice of any politician from Oron Local Government Area as deputy to Umo Eno was a wrong choice, as a local government area that made up of Oro ethnic nationality, the PDP Federal Constituency ticket is already in Oron
LGA.

According to a Facebook user, Victor Onomo wrote; "SO ORON LGA NA ONLY UNA GET ORO? SENATE 8TH YEARS, PREPARING FOR HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THEN DEPUTY GOVERNOR? PDP NO BALANCE AT ALL. NO WAHALA SHA,, COME AND BEST THE REST OF US TO VOTE!"

The party should engage the people of Oro before they submit the name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

There should be more consultations and engagement with the people. People have to know. Oro is a traditional community. The party knows the voting pattern of the place.

Akwa Ibom State political watchers have reiterated that the choice of Senator Akon Eyakenyi or any aspirant from Oron LGA is and will be a bad omen for the PDP in the State, which is bedeviled with too many crises as issue of candidature is still a subject of litigation at an Abuja High Court, which has given judicial order to maintain status quo ante bellum to the INEC and the PDP National Secretariat not to recognise the April 30, 2022 adhoc congress to elect 3 delegates per ward.