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| Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke |
A frontline Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship aspirant in Akwa Ibom State, Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke has withdrawn from the PDP governorship primaries scheduled for today.
The lawmaker stated this on Wednesday in a statement.
The statement reads:
When Reality Stares us in the Face
Dear Akwa Ibom People,
I entered the ongoing Governorship race of our dear State to change the narrative in the political system and governance by seeking more inclusion through our Building Together and Growing Together agenda. We took our message to all the 31 Chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state. That message was well accepted by members of our party and soundly resonated with Akwa Ibom citizens. Our hope of victory was dependent on God using the delegates at the PDP primaries and ultimately Akwa Ibom people at the general election.This was our conviction and it is still our conviction today.
However, unfolding realities within our party and the Nation have called for a reconsideration of my participation in the gubernatorial primaries of our party today. This is for the simple fact that we will not be going into this election with our largest support base which is the statutory delegates. We also do not have any of the ad hoc delegates as our supporters who bought forms to be Adhoc delegates were excluded from the process. This position they have stated in a formal protest to the national headquarters of our party and have also sought redress.
This Statement would have been issued much earlier than now but we were waiting and hoping that the President would assent to the amended electoral bill 2022 which would have corrected the oversight. As of this morning, Mr President is yet to assent to it.
Consequently, I will not be participating in today’s governorship primary election.
I make this statement after due consultation with the leadership of the Amazing Grace Campaign team and representatives of my support base.
I am prayerfully and politically consulting on the way forward, and I will communicate same in the coming weeks.
My sincere gratitude to our supporters. You have shown me immeasurable goodwill. I still count on your strength going forward. With you we will continue to press towards an Akwa Ibom that works for all its citizens.
Rt. Hon. Onofiok Akpan Luke
Gubernatorial Aspirant
Peoples’ Democratic Party
25-05-2022
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