Akwa Ibom APC react to Worrisome Federal Appointments

By Thompson Nsisongabasi On Jul 10, 2020

A report from the senate has detailed how President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly caved into pressure from APC state chairmen to withdraw the list of non-career ambassadors designate sent to the Senate last week.

The Senate on Wednesday received a request from President Muhammadu Buhari for the replacement and confirmation of two non-career Ambassadors-designate.

The request was contained in a letter read during the plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.

The President sought to replace the earlier nomination of Mr. Oboro Effiong Akpabio and Brigadier General Bwala Yusuf Bukar from Akwa-Ibom and Borno State, respectively.

Following this replacement, AFNEWS gathered that the APC Leadership in Akwa Ibom State was dissatisfied with the new development.

This was portrayed in several letters addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, The Senate President and other leaders at the federal level suggesting that appointments made in the state be reviewed to protect the interest of the party.

The letters were signed by The APC Chairman of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Ini Okopido and the State Publicity Secretary, Nkereuwem Enongekere.

The letter reads;

Secretary to Government of The Federation (SGF)

Office of the SGF

FCT, Abuja

Sir,

PETITION AGAINST WORRISOME APPOINTMENTS FROM AKWA IBOM STATE

You will please refer to the above subject matter.

1. It was an anonymous author who wrote that “silence is a virtue but not golden”.

2. We have continued to witness and watch in silence even as we bear the brunt of a worrisome trend of inappropriate Federal appointments presumably endorsed by the State Chapter as representing the people of Akwa Ibom state. This irregularity has occurred once too often driving our silence to its elastic limit for which reason we are constrained to cry out.

3. Right from the first tenure of the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, persons not associated with APC in the state have continued to enjoy the rare privilege of Federal appointments in a manner that cast aspersions on the integrity, fair mindedness and vaunted claim of the Party to reward deserving Party men/women.

4. Again, in this second tenure, the situation is not any different as we have cases of Federal appointments not reflecting the interest of the Party and Akwa Ibom people.

5. Two of such cases are; (1) Appointment into the Board of the National Assembly Service Commission and most recently (2) Akwa Ibom state nominee in the list of non-Career Diplomats presented by Mr. President to the Senate for clearance.

6. The said nominee; Mr. Oboro Effiong Akpabio is not known to the party neither is he remotely identified as one connected to the party. His name is allien to our Party Leaders, the political class and members of the public.

7. These questionable appointments negate in its entirety the provisions of Article 22 of the APC Constitution (October 2014 As Amended) which behoves on members to support the Party in its financial endeavours.

8. This category of appointees are more or less strangers to the Party and do not interact with the party in any form or manner neither do they attract dividends of democracy to the state upon their appointment.

9. This development does not only throw a bad light on the reward system of the party but goes to question the essence of service, loyalty and commitment to the course and interest of the party.

10. It is confounding and embarrassing for Akwa Ibom Chapter (in the face of intense agitation by members) to continue to endure neglect and absence of consultation in the appointment of persons into Boards and Parastatals of the Federal Government.

11. In view of the adverse consequences of these disturbing appointments to the health and well-being of the party in Akwa Ibom state, we request you to henceforth kindly consider the following; since the President has the prerogative of appointments, recourse should be made to the party in the course of Federal appointments for Akwa Ibom indigenes in order to ascertain their true state of origin and ensure that such persons have a relationship with the Party in the state.

12. This is with a view to encouraging and sustaining synergy between Federal appointees of the state origin and the party.

Thank you for the prompt and anticipated response.

Please accept our assurances of your highest esteem as I remain,

Yours truly,

Hon. Ini Okopido

State Chairman

APC, Akwa Ibom Chapter.

CC.

1. The Senate President

2. Deputy Senate President

3. Speaker of the House of Representative

4. Chairman, National Care Taker Committee

5. National Vice Chairman, South-South

APC Rejects John J. Usanga, Ambassador Designate.

The attention of the APC Akwa Ibom State Chapter has been drawn to the news of the appointment of Mr. John J. Usanga as an Ambassador Designate in place of Mr. Oboro Efiong Akpabio.

While we appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari for taking such swift action in effecting a replacement, we also quickly like to draw the attention of HE to certain basic information about the new nominee, John J. Usanga.

The new replacement would have been highly applauded and joyously celebrated if he were not an outright antagonist of APC as a party and ardent critic of the same government he is now being recruited to serve without any clearance from APC State Chapter.

Besides, he is neither a member nor a well wisher of our party, on that note APC Akwa Ibom State Chapter rejects and opposes his appointment as ambassadorial nominee.

To his account, we therefore attach to this release some of his publications against our party and the government to be read along together, if these are what make him more qualified than others during selection.

We remain extremely grateful and loyal to Mr. President for his anticipating attention and desire to restore APC, Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria in general to progressive minds.

God bless APC.

Signed.

Nkereuwem Enongekere

State Publicity Secretary

July 09, 2020.