Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel has elected to lead his team of Campaign Coordinators to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, who summoned them and accused them of various misdemeanours based on a petition by the All Progressive Congress (APC) Chairman in the state, Ini Okopido
The Akwa Ibom APC Chairman had sent a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari with various unfounded allegations against the Udom Emmanuel Campaign Organisation, a petition the President minuted to his Chief of Staff who, in line with orders, minuted to the IGP for immediate investigation.
The allegations border on destruction of Buhari’s Presidential campaign billboards in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State , a charge PDP and the Commissioner of Environment, Dr. Iniobong Essien, have denied and clarified.
The general plank for the invitation, according to the police, revolves around instigation to cause violence.
All the persons invited by the Inspector General of Police curiously are the key officers of Udom Emmanuel Divine Mandate Organisation, the vehicle for Udom’s re-election.
Those invited to appear are the Chairperson of Divine Mandate, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga, a retired Nigerian AirForce personal, former head of the Presidential Air Fleet and former Military Administrator of Akwa Ibom State. Also invited by the IGP for questioning is the Peoples Democratic Party Chairman in the State, Paul Ekpo, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke, the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Iniobong Essien, the Senior Special Assistant on Security Fubara Duke, the Chairman of Uyo Local Government Council and the Chairman of the Uyo Market Association.
“A security agency established by law has invited us so we have to honour. We obey laws here. It started with the billboard issue and the IGP sent a team from Abuja that investigated and even detained the Commissioner for Environment for no just cause. Is this their concept to intimidate and take over Akwa Ibom State that they have been orchestrating and boasting about? Acceptability is at the polls. Let’s go there. We are ready”, the State PDP chairman said before they boarded an aircraft to Abuja.
“The APC conducted its governorship primaries in this state and three persons were killed, no petitions, no investigations, no arrest, no prosecution. As a fallout from the primaries, a police station was burnt in Okobo Local Government Area, and other sundry but weighty infractions, yet the police ignored the incidences even with photo evidence and outcries”, he said.
