Hon. (Ntufam) Okon Owuna, Member representing Akamkpa I State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, has condemned a publication alleging that eleven lawmakers visited the national office of Relax Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria to express grievances over APC ticket arrangements and threaten to withhold support from other party candidates in Cross River State when the reverse was the case.
The report is misleading, mischievous and calculated to sow discord within the APC family in Cross River State.
For the avoidance of doubt, the visit was a courtesy call to express solidarity with our own, Hon. Innocent Egede, National Director of Strategic Deployment and Implementation of the movement. It has now been misconstrued and deliberately presented as a strategic meeting of aggrieved lawmakers, a characterisation Hon. Okon Owuna categorically rejects.
READ ALSO: Joseph Ogogo Foundation completes 4th education intervention in Obanliku, Obudu
Hon. Owuna wishes to state unequivocally that he was not part of any meeting with Hon. Egede to discuss grievances over party tickets, political appointments or the re-election prospects of any APC candidate. His participation was strictly limited to the solidarity visit. To the best of his knowledge, no meeting of aggrieved APC lawmakers took place as alleged in the publication.
It is therefore pertinent to ask: how is he an aggrieved member when he has his ticket and standing election?Who convened this purported meeting, what grievances were formally presented, and what verifiable evidence supports the claims published? The report offers no substantiated basis for portraying the visit as an expression of political discontent or a threat to the party’s electoral fortunes.
Equally questionable is the suggestion that Hon. Egede was approached to intervene in the alleged dispute over party tickets. What specific mandate or authority was he given to resolve such grievances? The publication provides no credible evidence of any mediation arrangement. An official position within a political movement does not, in itself, validate allegations of a meeting that Hon. Owuna says he did not attend.
We categorically reject every attempt to associate Hon. Owuna with a faction of aggrieved lawmakers, a protest against the APC leadership, or any plan to withdraw support from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Bassey Edet Otu or other APC candidates. No such position should be attributed to him without clear and verifiable evidence.
The attempt to portray the lawmakers as disgruntled politicians prepared to undermine the party over ticket arrangements is particularly troubling. These are serious political allegations that should never be presented as established facts without proper verification and a fair opportunity for those concerned to respond.
This publication bears the hallmarks of political mischief aimed at heating up the polity, manufacturing divisions and creating unnecessary distrust among APC stakeholders. At a time when unity and constructive engagement are essential, responsible commentators should not turn a routine courtesy visit into a fabricated narrative of rebellion and disloyalty.
We therefore challenge the authors and publishers to substantiate their claims with credible evidence or correct the misleading report. Political disagreements should not be manufactured for sensational headlines, and the names of public officeholders should not be used to advance narratives they have neither endorsed nor confirmed.
Hon. Okon Owuna remains committed to responsible political engagement and the collective interests of the APC. His participation in a solidarity visit must not be distorted to suggest grievances, factional alignment or opposition to the party’s candidates.
A courtesy visit is not a meeting of aggrieved lawmakers. Solidarity is not rebellion. And political speculation must never be passed off as fact.
The public is urged to treat the publication with caution and refrain from amplifying unverified claims capable of undermining party unity in Cross River State.
Signed:
Media Team
Hon. (Ntufam) Okon Owuna
Member, Cross River State House of Assembly
Akamkpa I State Constituency
