Iniobong Ekponta, Uyo
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Christopher Stephen Ekpenyong, has dispelled the rumor making the rounds that he has ditched the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ekpenyong, former deputy governor to Obong Victor Attah, at the return of democracy in 1999, spoke to reporters yesterday against the backdrop of some local newspaper publications alleging he had dumped the ruling party in Akwa Ibom to the main opposition, APC.
“Such insinuation remains in the warped imaginations of the purveyors of such unfounded allegation. I have never spoken or discussed my political future with anybody. I don’t know whether it is my spirit that they see there.
“Those who cooked the rumor should be able to substantiate as to what forum I declared for the APC. I am a big political figure, if I am leaving PDP, thousands of my followers should also leave with me, and such ceremony should be done openly.
“If I have any thought of leaving the PDP, it should be a product of painstaking negotiations based on genuine interests and not any parochial sentiments.
“Those looking for me should be able to satisfy my interests and that of my followers; they should properly dress me and put me in a better position to be able to forget the party that I co-founded in 1998”, Ekpenyong stressed.
Reacting to the crisis rocking the PDP, Ekpenyong expressed hope of quick resolution of the issues in dispute, as stakeholders were working on the best way forward for the party.
He urged PDP supporters to remain resolute as always
