No fewer than 25 persons were injured yesterday when party supporters protested on the streets of Uyo, the Akwa-Ibom State capital, over alleged irregularities in the just concluded Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship primary election, which they claimed was manipulated in favour of Udom Gabriel.
Vanguard gathered that 22 of the 25 governorship aspirants angrily withdrew from the race just as Bishop Samuel Akpan and Obong Okon Umana defected to Accord Party and All Progressives Congress, APC, respectively, leaving only Udom in the contest.
The protesters alleged that the processes leading to the primary election were fraught with widespread irregularities.
Supporters of the governorship aspirants stormed out of the Uyo international stadium, venue of the event, in solidarity with the aggrieved aspirants, who reconvened at the Ewet Housing home of Obong Nsima Ekere, one of the aspirants.
It was gathered that the youths, who chanted solidarity songs, called for the cancellation of what they called a flawed poll. They also demanded a level playing field for all the aspirants.
The youths, who besieged the Ewet Housing home of Ekere immediately took their protests to the streets of Uyo and Government Residential Area, expressing their anger over the elections, alleging that the election was manipulated in favour of Udom.
They chanted protest songs and asked the aspirants to protect their future by ensuring that the democracy the youths and concerned Nigerians fought for, was not overtaken by the political cabal in government.
“Democracy must be made to have a human face, it should be government of the people, by the people and for the people,” Ememobong Ita, a youth activist insisted.
Tension heightened when the angry youths clashed with other youths at the Ewet Housing, who were celebrating Udom’s victory.
The clash left over 25 youths on both sides injured.
It took the intervention of some of the aggrieved aspirants, including Obong Nsima Ekere, Mrs. Helen Esuene, Chief Assam Assam, Dr. Peter Esuh and Mr. Patrick Ekpotu to calm frayed nerves
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