From Joe Effiong, Uyo
Former spokesman of House of Representatives, Eseme Eyiboh, yesterday, said All Progressives Congress (APC) has now filed candidates for all positions in Akwa Ibom State for the 2023 general election.
Eyiboh, who is the APC candidate for Eket Federal Constituency, told Daily Sun that with the court clearing Godswill Akpabio to contest the Akwa Ibom North West senatorial ticket, he was confident Akan Udofia, whose gubernatorial ticket was declared invalid by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), would equally get justice at the court to contest the election.
“In my last interaction with you, I had said time will tell. On September 20, in compliance with its guidelines and the timetable it set for itself, INEC published what it called the final list of all the candidates of all the political parties for the National Assembly positions.
“In Akwa Ibom State, all our names were there, including my own name and that of Akpabio. But unfortunately, the naysayers, who said APC in Akwa Ibom State had no candidates, were not fair to the public by also helping to publish the INEC final list; or apologise that they misled the public.
“It means what they did was deliberately intended to demean and disintegrate and dismember the party and make the party suffer undue poor perception.”
He said why some people in the state were spreading the news of APC not having candidates in Akwa Ibom was because people wanted to go to elections unopposed.
“On October 4, INEC is expected to publish the names of the governorship candidates and state Houses of Assembly candidates.”
Eyiboh said though he is not the spokesman of the party in the state, he foresees Udofia’s case falling in line with that of Akpabio since the cases were similar.
According to him, even if Udofia’s name would not be published on October 4, he believes when judgement would be delivered on October 6, it would be in his favour to still make him a bonafide gubernatorial candidate of the party.