The Akwa Ibom State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has berated the Nsit Ubium chapter of the party for its purported suspension of the Niger Delta Minister, Mr Umana Okon Umana, from the party.
The executives of the local chapter of the party, in a letter dated 14 December 2022, signed by the secretary, Mr Monday John and chairman, Mr Johnson Udo, announced the suspension of Umana from the party for alleged anti-party activities.
They accused Umana of surreptitiously working for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to malign and cause disaffection in APC in the state.
The suspension letter which is now on social media explained that the minister, despite several invitations, failed to appear before the party to respond to the allegation of anti-party activities levelled against him which include financing the activities of PDP at the local level and sponsoring parallel APC party executives at the local level.
The local chapter also accused Umana of sponsoring a litany of cases in court against the APC governorship candidate to weaken him and pave the way for the PDP candidate who is alleged to be his friend.
However, the State Chairman of APC, Mr Stephen Ntukekpo, reacting through a press statement said the local chapter of the party was seeking attention and, therefore, called on the public to disregard the allegation describing it as false and misleading.
He described the minister as a true party man and a great supporter of a unified party in the state who would not engage in those activities as alleged.
He said: “I hereby state with unequivocal authority that the Honourable Minister was never and has never been suspended from the party in his ward chapter or the state.”
Ntukekpo, therefore, urged the party faithful to remain resolute and not to be distracted in their campaigns.
