Akwa Ibom youths protest consensus candidate for senate, demand open primaries

Addressing the protesters, youth leader Ayang Richard commended stakeholders for declaring the Eket Senatorial District contest open to all qualified aspirants while micro-zoning the race to candidates from Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency.

He warned, however, that the youths would firmly resist any attempt to impose an automatic ticket on what he described as a non-performing senator, emphasising that leadership must emerge through a transparent and competitive process.

The future of our constituency cannot be decided behind closed doors. The people must choose their leaders.

“We will firmly resist any attempt to impose an automatic ticket on a non-performing senator. Leadership must emerge through a transparent and competitive process,” he said.

Richard added that the massive attendance at the protest was not about APC youths alone in Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency but a clarion call on the APC leadership to help the senatorial district effect a change and to uphold direct primaries against consensus or automatic ticket for the Senate seat.

He said Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency had credible and notable sons and daughters capable of representing the zone in the forthcoming APC primaries.

“Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency has credible sons and daughters to emerge as senatorial candidates in the coming APC primary later this month. Allowing the incumbent, Sampson, to continue will discredit the credibility of the party and make it unpopular,” he said.

Also speaking, Friday Jack decried the continued neglect of youths by Sampson and called on young people, women and stakeholders across the constituency to unite and reject what he described as the reinforcement of failure under the guise of an automatic ticket.

“Our youths have been neglected in the scheme of things in the present dispensation. I am therefore calling on our youths including women and stakeholders to reject automatic ticket for Senate seat; it is a reinforcement of failure in the guise of automatic ticket,” he said.

The protesting youths also used the opportunity to reaffirm their support for President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno.