June 23, (THEWILL) – The member representing Uyo federal constituency, Akwa Ibom State, in the National Assembly, Hon. Mike Enyong, says his decision to conduct a parallel gubernatorial delegates election on May 25, is paying off positively, as that is the only reason his party will be on the ballot papers in 2023.
THEWILL recalls that the two term member of the National Assembly had on May 25, 2022, conducted a parallel Governoship primary election, under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), using the statutory delegates in the state, where he emerged winner with over 2,000 votes out of a total of 2,744 accredited delegates.
The lawmaker, who had declared himself a Governoship candidate of the PDP, explained that his decision was based on his deep understanding of the current electoral act and the constitution of the country.
According to him, “my adversaries looking for every opportunity to blackmail and tarnish my hard earned reputation are doing so because they know I have beaten them to their game.
“I am waiting for July 15th for the people to understand that I am the rightful candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom state. The court had asked for status quo ante bellum in the case brought before it over the fraudulent selection of some people as Ad hoc delegates, but they went ahead and used them to pick their preferred aspirant, but I understood the implication of being part of the sham and opted for the primaries with statutory delegates with the INEC as observers and officials from the national secretariat of our dear party.”
Enyong, who highlighted that his singular action is the only reason the ruling party in the state will be on the ballot papers for the 2023 governorship contest, urged those working against him to desist and rather pull their energies into his drive to ensure that Akwa Ibom state remains in the grip of PDP beyond 2023.
Enyong stressed that the May 18th Abuja high court order on ad hoc delegates with status quo ante bellum, automatically left the party with no ad hoc delegates to conduct governorship primary for the party.
“That order still subsists as we speak today, I am the rightful candidate of the party and the next governor of Akwa Ibom state”, he maintained.
Speaking on his recent empowerment that is being distorted by detractors who paraded fake people on social media as disappointed beneficiaries, the lawmaker explained that every genuine beneficiary captured in his list has been empowered with the promised N1million.
“I am already looking forward to having another round of empowerment to spread more democratic dividends to greater number of our people, anybody claiming not to have received my empowerment after the last outing is either not part of the original list or failed to meet the guidelines for the beneficiaries to follow up and cash out the money. I owe nobody.”
He, however, described as laughable the trending video of a youth alleging that he got a paltry N1,000 after voting as a delegate in the primaries that produced him as a candidate, saying that he can’t even give beggars on the street N1,000 talk less of a politician.
”I don’t know him, they are using him to blackmail me, he is not part of the exercise, go and ask all statutory delegates that participated to get clearer picture”, Enyong dismissed.
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