…Claims: Judith Etuk was declared victorious

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — The Coalition of Eket Federal Constituency Youths has rejected reports claiming that Mrs Eunice Thomas won the All Progressives Congress, APC, House of Representatives primaries in the constituency, insisting that “no amount of media propaganda can overturn the truth already witnessed by party members and the public.”

The disagreement followed the APC primaries held on Saturday, with rival claims emerging over the outcome of the exercise after some media reports named Mrs Thomas as winner, while the coalition maintained that Obongawaan (Dr) Mrs Judith Ogbara Mayen Etuk was officially declared victorious.

In a statement signed by Assam Abia, National Publicity Secretary of the Coalition of Eket Federal Constituency Youths, the group said the May 16 primaries were conducted under the supervision of security agencies and returning officers from Abuja.

“Our position is based on facts, direct observation and the official declaration made by the returning officers from Abuja. No amount of media propaganda can overturn the truth already witnessed by party members and the public,” the statement said.

The coalition maintained that its members monitored the exercise across the constituency and that Dr Judith won convincingly in the areas where voting took place.

“It is shocking and unfortunate that days after a transparent exercise, some newspapers suddenly chose to publish a completely different narrative on their front pages,” the statement added.

The group said it believed the reports were aimed at shaping public perception of the outcome and casting doubt on the credibility of the exercise within the party.

According to the coalition, supporters of Dr Judith celebrated openly across the constituency after the declaration of results on Saturday night, adding that there were no immediate objections from rival camps because “everybody knew the true outcome of the primaries.”

The youths urged residents of Eket, Onna, Esit Eket and Ibeno Local Government Areas, as well as APC members and supporters, to disregard reports they said did not reflect the outcome announced at the primaries.

The coalition also expressed confidence that the national secretariat of the APC would publish the results of party primaries nationwide ahead of the issuance of certificates of return to successful candidates.

The APC had yet to officially release the final results of the constituency primaries as of press time.

The group warned against attempts to create tension through misinformation and urged political actors and their supporters to allow peace and due process to prevail.