Akwa Ibom govt condemns attack on Senator

The Akwa Ibom State government has condemned the attack on a senator representing Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District, Senator Helen Esuene.

Sen. Esuene was on a political consultation at Essien Udim Local Government Area when political thugs struck.

The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Aniekan Umanah, while briefing newsmen yesterday in Uyo, the state capital, said the state governor, Godswill Akpabio, instructed him to dissuade the state from the attack and to condemn it in strong term.

His words: “The governor has condemned the attack of Sen. Helen Esuene, in its entirety. The action of the irate youths on the distinguish senator is condemnable.

“The governor is not happy over the incidence. The local government was not against any aspirant from coming to the area for consultation or campaign.”

He added that the attack was not targeted at Esuene, but the youth were not happy with the Peoples’ Democratic Party Chapter Chairman, Friday Udoh.

He said that the crisis erupted because Udoh had instructed the senator to pay their consultation fee of N1m into his account which was improper and unacceptable to the youths.

Chairman, Essien Udim LGA, Nse Ntuen, said that the non-availability of transport fare to the youths was the cause of the crisis.

The council chairman said that the ignorance of the organisers of the consultation team to involve the security operatives from the local government left large security gap at the function.