EXCLUSIVE: Former presidential aide prevented from meeting Tinubu

Ita Enang, a former adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, was prevented by security officials from having access to Bola Tinubu when the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) visited Akwa Ibom State for his campaign rally.

Mr Tinubu was in Uyo on 30 January for the continuation of his nationwide campaign tour ahead of the 25 February election.

Mr Enang, who is a 2023 governorship aspirant of the party in Akwa Ibom, was at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, alongside several other APC chieftains, to receive Mr Tinubu but was singled out by security officials who told him he would not be allowed to meet the APC presidential candidate, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

The Akwa Ibom State Chapter of the APC, a few days before Mr Tinubu’s visit, had announced Mr Enang’s expulsion from the APC because of his litigation over the party’s governorship ticket in the state. But Mr Enang rebuffed them, saying he remained a member of the party.

Mr Enang confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES Thursday that he was prevented from meeting Mr Tinubu at the airport in Uyo.

The President of the Nigerian Senate, Ahmad Lawan, was already at the airport with other dignitaries waiting for Mr Tinubu’s arrival when the security officials confronted Mr Enang, who is a former senator.

Stand-off

There was at least an hour-long stand-off between Mr Enang and the security officials, Mr Enang said.

He told this reporter what transpired between him and the security officials.

“I was told that they would not allow me in because it is alleged and suspected that I have many of my campaign materials and supporters and that I am coming to launch my governorship campaign at the same time and venue that the rally is going on at the stadium and at the pre-event, and that they have intelligence that my presence may cause conflict and confrontation between my supporters, my team and the team of other persons which may be overwhelming for security control and may lead to untoward situation. So it would be appropriate to avoid that, I should not come in,” he said.

Mr Enang said he had to leave the airport because he did not want “anything to overshadow the rally”.

“I considered that at my status, it would not be appropriate for me to forcibly confront the situation because it may spiral out of control.

“This is our party, I don’t want anything to affect the success which we are anticipating in the election,” he said.

The APC spokesperson in Akwa Ibom, Otoabasi Udo, told this newspaper that there was no way the former presidential aide would have attended the Uyo rally since “he is no longer a member of the APC”.

PREMIUM TIMES asked Mr Udo, a lawyer, why Mr Tinubu and other APC leaders had not seen the need to reconcile Mr Enang and others for the sake of having a united party in Akwa Ibom ahead of the election.

“There was no need for it since Ita Enang had already been expelled from the party,” he responded.

A Federal High Court in Uyo, in November last year, nullified the APC governorship primary in Akwa Ibom following a suit that was filed by Mr Enang.

The court, which ruled that the party’s governorship candidate, Akanimo Udofia, was not a member of the APC, ordered the party to organise a fresh primary which the court barred Mr Udofia from taking part.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja recently overturned the judgment in favour of Mr Udofia who was presented with the APC flag at the party’s rally in Uyo.

Mr Enang had gone to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgment of the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the matter.