- Obono-Obla Obla Insists, Gets Apology For Accusation
While there has been no let off in accusations and counter accusations trailing the non confirmation of Gladys Utendala, by the Cross River State House of Assembly as commissioner designate, sources inside the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, have made a startling revelation to www.calitown.com.
At the CRS House of Assembly complex, where the commissioner nominees were screened, we were informed that she was unable to identify Eka Williams and Bassey Mensah, Vice Chairman Central and Secretary of the APC in Cross River State, who incidentally were also nominees, sparking muted rage between members of the party in the state, especially those from her native Yakurr LGA, who protested her inclusion in the list of nominees with written petitions. They insisted in their petitions that she was not a member of the party, but included in the list by persons who supported her without resorting to the party or consulting widely.
Lawyer and former presidential aide, Okoi Obono-Obla, initially fingered as the brain behind the petitions, took to his verified Facebook page, to demand a written apology from the husband of the lady, citing a written notice authored by the husband, suggesting that Obono-Obla was behind the petitions, something the lawyer vehemently denies.
“In the past few days, rumours sponsored by some people who wanted to blackmail and indeed coax me to support the nomination of somebody from my ward Ijiman in Ugep, Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State as a commissioner against my conscience has been making rounds in the public and social media platforms”, Obla stated.
“I want to place it on record that I did not petition the said Commissioner nominee…Indeed, the name of the writer of the petition and his phone number is there (sic) in the petition which is in the public domain and the cyberspace…I have therefore; decided after deep reflection and rumination to demand from Obol Balinwo Ofegobi, a withdrawal of his spurious, vile and malicious defamation within the next 24 hours.”
The withdrawal, he insisted, “must be accompanied with an unqualified apology to be approved by my solicitors. In the event that Obol Ofegobi fail, refuse or neglect to withdraw his defamation and rendering an apology at the expiration of the 24 hours, I shall instruct my solicitors to file a defamation suit against him in the High Court of Justice”, Obono-Obla concluded.
The husband of the nominees has since replied Obla stating thus: “I have read and understood your instructions. I still consider you my BROTHER and friend…I have since WITHDRAWN the post on the said platform. I have also officially APOLOGIZED. I hope it will not be necessary to commence any litigation…Thank you”
“We will sort out the issues, it is politics, not war”, a top APC source in the state insisted.
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