By Emem Brandy
Fresh controversy has enveloped the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, as the party’s state chairman, Obong Stephen Ntokekpo, is accused of misleading Governor Umo Eno to justify a planned restructuring of the party’s ward and chapter executives.
Party sources alleged that Ntokekpo informed the governor that the current executives in Mkpat Enin were unfit to continue in office because they purportedly took an oath of allegiance to Senate President Godswill Akpabio when he was serving as a minister.
However, insiders claimed that the allegation is unfounded and was allegedly advanced to create distrust between the governor and the long-standing party leadership in the area.
A senior stakeholder within the party described the oath-taking claim as “false and politically motivated,” alleging that it was designed to pave the way for the dissolution of existing structures and the installation of a new leadership loyal to the state chairman.
“The executives being targeted were among those who built the APC in Mkpat Enin when it had little support. It is unfair to sideline them based on unverified claims,” the source said.
The development comes ahead of the ward and chapter congresses, where tensions have reportedly heightened. Serving party officials and supporters staged a protest in Mkpat Enin, accusing the state leadership of attempting to impose new executives through prepared lists.
Protesters warned that dissolving the current structure could deepen divisions within the party and weaken its grassroots base in the area.
One of the demonstrators said the move would marginalise original party loyalists in favour of recent defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Despite the dispute, the aggrieved members reaffirmed their loyalty to the APC and to Governor Eno, insisting that their agitation was aimed at ensuring fairness and internal democracy.
In a communiqué issued after the protest, they pledged support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senate President Akpabio and Governor Eno, while calling for intervention to preserve unity within the party in Mkpat Enin.
They maintained that sustaining the existing ward and chapter structures is key to maintaining stability and cohesion in the local chapter of the party.