The recently appointed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Etekamba Umoren, has been confirmed by APC leaders to be not one of its members.
The APC leaders claim that although Mr. Etekamba Umoren is not a party official, he is a technocrat who has held multiple positions in the state.
Through its head, Awwal Musa Rafsanjani, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) declared that they completely oppose President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointment of partisan individuals as RECs.
The CSOs specifically stated that they believed Mr. Isah Shaka Ehimeakne of Edo State and Mr. Etekamba Umoren of Akwa Ibom State to be APC members with valid cards.
Rumor has it that Umoren the worked as an adviser to Godswill Akpabio, the current president of the Senate. While he was the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, he further functioned as the President of the Senate’s Chief of Staff.
However, in an interview with reporters yesterday, Hon. Eseme Eyibo, the head of the 2023 APC Candidates Forum in Akwa-Ibom State, stated that he is not a member of his party and that they have been told to set the record straight on the REC problem.
“We are aware of the petitions against him. The law is that the person to be appointed as REC should not be a card carrying member. Umoren is not a card carrying member of our party. He was appointed permanent secretary, he is a technocrat and to the best of our knowledge, not a card carrying member of APC.
“There is a difference between a political party appointment and a government appointment.
The law states clearly who is a member of a political party; A member must be a financial contributor.
“If they are in a rally that does not make them members of political parties, Wearing a cloth at a political party rally when your boss is there does not make you a member of the political party.
“Those opposed to this should come out with a register to prove he is a member of our party. We are in the days of AI where someone can carry my picture now and say I wear a suit,” Eyibo added.
