Disappointment as Akwa Ibom Senator Fails to Decamp to PDP

It was a huge disappointment for supporters of Governor Udom Emmanuel, yesterday when a third republic Senator, Etang Umoyo, who was touted to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) failed to show up at the PDP Eket senatorial district rally for the endorsement of the governor for a second term.

No explanation was offered by the organisers of the event for the ex-Senator’s absence but a family source claimed the ex-Senator was hospitalised last Sunday.

Senator Umoyo, who represented Eket senatorial district from 1992 to 1993 last Friday held a chaotic meeting with some APC members in Esit Eket, his local government area, to inform them of his decamping, and the party members present challenged him with angry speeches and placards, accusing him of receiving N10 million from the governor to destroy the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Esit Eket.

To make up for the vocal ex-Senator’s absence at the endorsement rally, Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga, the Director-General of Udom’s campaign organisation hurriedly announced the defection of three APC members who are not from Eket Senatorial District and called the PDP state chairman, Obong Paul Ekpo to receive them.

Udoma Ekarika and Obong Anny Asikpo, two of the decampees are from Ikot Ekpene senatorial district while Elder Emmanuel Udo, the immediate past APC Deputy Chairman, is from Uyo senatorial district.

Ekarika who was lured into the PDP by the governor with the promise of deputy governor, alluded to this promise when he said “I will be privileged and opportuned to be in your team. That is when I will tell you what the APC is in Akwa Ibom State.”