Among those that defected were four former councilors: Iboro
Akpan, Samuel Etuk, Ndifreke Essien and Jonathan Umana; a former PDP chapter
Secretary, Dr. George Udoh; a former University of Uyo official, Dr. Silas
Udofia; and Victor Etefia, an oil mogul in the state.
In his remarks, the immediate past senator of Akwa Ibom
North West in the National Assembly, Senator Aloysius Etok, expressed joy that
all the “real politicians” in the area were together in the APC.
Etok assured the APC in the state of bloc votes in Ikono in
the 2019 general elections, adding that the era of writing election results in
Government House, Uyo, is over.
He described some of those still in Ikono PDP as
“lightweight and violent politicians” with no grassroots support.
The senator dismissed as false the claim by the PDP state
government that it had constructed 250km of roads in the state.
Also speaking, former member of the House of Representatives
for Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency, Iquo Inyang, commended the defectors for
choosing to embrace the change that was going on in the country.
Inyang applauded the anti-corruption war of President
Muhammadu Buhari administration, adding that it was the answer to the prayers
of Nigerians who were impoverished by the mindless looting of the treasury by
the last PDP government.
Receiving the defectors, Obong Uko Umoh, the State APC Vice
Chairman for Akwa Ibom North East Senatorial District, who represented the
State Chairman, Dr. Amadu Atai, said the PDP, being heavily factionalized,
would fade away from Akwa Ibom State politics in 2019.
He charged the defectors to return to their wards to join
existing APC members to preach the message of change.
Iboro Akpan, a former leader of Ikono Legislative Council,
who spoke on behalf of the defectors, assured APC of their total commitment and
said he was making history after former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the
second former PDP member to publicly shred his membership card.
