I Didnt Bite Akpan Udoedehe – Sen Ita Enang, I didn’t beat Ita Enang- Akpan Udoede

By Edoamaowo Udeme

Senator  Ita Enang, The Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters has debunked the story of his purpoted fight and biting of Senator John James Akpanudoedehe during the APC Primaries last Sunday in Uyo Akwa Ibom State. 

In a telephone chat with our Correspondent, Senator Ita Enang said Akpanudoedehe sustained the injury while they struggled but he did not bite him.

“While  I was inside  the venue, Akpanudoedehe’s thugs threw stones and damaged my car and deflated my tires.  I  then confronted him and told him that I am not partial as he was accusing me but  that I have to take sides that governorship zoning  is for Eket Senatorial district and I have to take sided and suppprt Nsima Ekere who is from that axis. 

I now went to him, blocked him at the door  and I resisted him and he used his hands and blocked my nose and mouth, almost suffocating me, it was in the process that I sprang out and he sustained injuries, I didn’t bite him”.

On the accusation that he with the Police carted away materials to unknown destinations  for secret voting, Sen Enang said

“There was nothing of such. The election was conducted at the right venue, it  was free and  fair, the returning officers collated and counted the votes from all the local governments, they  announced the results and Nsima Ekere emerged the winner followed by Dan Abia before Akpanudoedehe”

Also in a telephone interview, Senator Akpanudoedehe  on the other hand, called for total cancellation of the Primaries election saying that it was marred by rigging.

“There was nothing like APC primaries in Akwa Ibom. What happened  was an insult to an institution  of democracy and I didnt expext that to happen. They distributed the materials through the police  and the police passed it to the thugs”

Akpanudoedehe  emphasized that the Police DPO was part of the rigging “I am telling you that the DPO distributed the voting materials and they just took the materials to their homes and filled them”

” We are calling for the cancellation of the Primaries, we reject it in its entirety” he stressed

On his fracas with Ita Enang  Akpanudoedehe  said  “What happened was that when the aspirants were addresses,  Nsima Ekere asked Barrister Asuquo Okpok to leave that the place was for aspirants, so I also asked Ita Enang to leave. 

I only flapped my hand waving him off, he held my hand and bit me”.

“I confronted him  because he came with police and thugs  to cart away voting materials to a private venue for voting” he stressed

” Ita Enang is very flippant and believes he can turn the story around to suit him,  there was no fracas, he wasn’t supposed to be in there because he is not an aspirant, I didn’t beat him, I only asked him to leave, why was he at the registration centre when he was neither an agent no aspirant”? Akpanudoedehe  added.

Read: Am once again been betrayed,  Senator Udoedeghe rejects Akwa Ibom APC governorship primary result

Mr Udoedehe said he went to the hospital and got treated for bite injury.

The former minister, who said he has petitioned the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC on it, said the primary was characterised by “outright rigging, misuse of the police force, and high-level corruption.”

He said he hopes to get justice from the party and lamented that he has been unfairly treated, despite his numerous contribution to the APC.

“In 2015, John Oyegun, came to this town and presented Umana Okon Umana before me, and said this is the new face of APC in the state. It was unwarranted.

“What do they have against me? They told me ‘Oh, Umana has money, you don’t have money!’ Today, it is the same thing. Must I be the managing director of NDDC to steal money before you know I have money to run election?’

“The system cannot continually be against one man; I have done nothing wrong, rather I have sacrificed so much for this party. What kind of evil is that?” he said, adding that he has only been betrayed, but not defeated.