Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Udeme Otong, is facing intense criticism following comments credited to him in a viral video where he allegedly claimed control over all APC House of Assembly tickets ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The remarks have triggered outrage within the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State, with party stakeholders describing the comments as reckless, provocative, and a threat to internal democracy.
The controversy followed the circulation of a video in which the Speaker was seen speaking in Ibibio during a gathering in his constituency.
In the footage, he boasted about having exclusive control over the 26 APC House of Assembly tickets for the next election cycle, suggesting that no aspirant could secure a ticket without his approval.
“All the tickets are already in my pocket. All the 26 House of Assembly tickets are already in my pocket. I single-handedly negotiated for them, no one else. No one else did. I will personally choose who becomes a House of Assembly member and hand the ticket to the person from my pocket,” Otong said.
The statement sparked swift reactions from party loyalists across the state, many of whom described it as disrespectful to long-standing APC members and an attempt to personalise party structures.
In response, the APC Media Network, a recognised media and communications arm within the party, issued a strong statement condemning the Speaker’s comments. The group demanded an immediate retraction and a public apology to party members who felt insulted by the remarks.
According to the APC Media Network, the comments undermine the authority of the party’s constitutional organs and project the APC as a private enterprise controlled by an individual rather than a democratic institution.
The group warned that such claims, if left unaddressed, could fuel internal crisis and weaken party cohesion at a critical time.
The Director-General of the APC Media Network, Iniobong John, stressed that no individual, regardless of position, has the authority to decide party candidacies or “custody” tickets.
He noted that APC candidates are produced through clearly defined processes involving party members and organs, not personal declarations or political grandstanding.
The group further argued that the APC in Akwa Ibom existed long before Otong’s defection to the party and was sustained by members who endured years of political isolation and electoral setbacks.
According to the statement, those members deserve fairness, inclusion, and equal opportunity to contest elections on the party’s platform.
The APC Media Network also urged the Speaker to adopt a more unifying leadership approach, pointing to the conduct of Governor Umo Eno and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, whom it said have promoted inclusiveness and party unity in the state.
The group called on the national leadership of the APC to intervene and reaffirm that party tickets are not personal possessions but collective mandates to be earned through transparent and competitive processes.
It warned that allowing such statements to stand could damage the party’s credibility and discourage genuine participation among aspirants ahead of 2027.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.