The wife of the Ward Chairperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State has narrated to PREMIUM TIMES how her husband died while sharing N50,000 donated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members who defected to the APC.
John Marcus, the APC chairperson in Ukanafun Ward 2, died in June.
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Controversial media report
The Ukanafun chapter of the APC, through a statement by its spokesperson, Stanley Peter, expressed shock over Mr Marcus’ death, describing him as a committed party member.
“According to the family reports, the late chairperson, who was a dedicated and passionate leader, died without any sign of illness,” Mr Peter said in the statement dated 26 June.
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About three days after, the Sun and Leadership newspapers reported that Mr Marcus was killed in a bloody clash with members of a PDP faction, who refused to join Governor Umo Eno in the APC after the governor defected to the ruling party.
Daily Sun reported that “trouble started when a popular politician in the ward, who recently defected to APC in the ward, donated money to the party to appreciate grassroots leaders, but the APC ward chairperson hijacked the cash while the PDP members resisted, before a fight ensued.
“Eyewitness who pleaded anonymity said even APC members were annoyed by the action of the late ward chairperson and descended on him as they smashed his head using a broken bottle, resulting in a free-for-all fight at the venue of the meeting,” the Sun newspaper had reported in June.
The newspaper also reported that the police spokesperson in the state, Timfon John, had confirmed the incident, a claim Ms John denied when PREMIUM TIMES contacted her on the incident.
Party counters media report, demands apology
Dissatisfied with the Sun newspaper’s account of what led to the death of the ward chairperson, the APC spokesperson in Ukanafun, Mr Peter, issued a statement, refuting the newspaper’s report.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident was unrelated to political party rivalry or monetary disputes. The APC, Ukanafun Chapter, condemns the attempt to link this tragedy to a fabricated narrative of political violence. Such misinformation not only disrespects the memory of our late chairperson but also risks inflaming tensions in an already grieving community.
“We strongly condemn the publication of unverified and misleading information by the Sun newspaper. Journalism carries a responsibility to uphold truth and accuracy, and we call on the newspaper to retract the false headline and issue a public apology for the harm caused to the reputation of the deceased and the APC,” Mr Peter wrote in a statement posted on Facebook on 29 June.
He attached a screenshot of the newspaper’s publication.
How my husband died – wife
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES last week, Mrs Marcus said the newspaper report was false.
She told PREMIUM TIMES that her husband fell off his seat while sharing N50,000 donated by PDP defectors.
She dismissed claims of violence, insisting there was no fight and that those present only witnessed it when he fell from his seat minutes after resuming the sharing.
“The day the incident happened, we left the house together with my husband, but I went somewhere. The day was a meeting with PDP members who defected to the APC – they wanted to decamp that day and get their membership card.
“I was at a place I went to until 3 p.m. and called his phone several times, but he didn’t pick up. After some time, I was called to come and I went there, but did not meet him alive. I asked his cousins and ward party members what happened, and they told me that the PDP defectors, before leaving, gave my husband N50,000 to share.”
According to her, only ward executives were invited to the meeting. So, as he was sharing the money, someone interrupted, telling him that he should include the youths.
“According to eyewitnesses, my husband told him that youths have been given N10,000, and the man insisted that he would give him too, and my husband agreed to share to him as well.
“From there, another person broke a bottle at the place, and my husband asked him why he would do that without respecting the elders who were there, and the person apologised to my husband.
“My husband left the bottle breaker, went back, and continued sharing the money. I am told he had shared the money for two additional persons before falling off his seat.
“That is exactly how it happened, and nothing else. I was informed of the earlier publication. I was surprised,” she said.
“Since my husband became the ward chairperson, he had been given money to share on several occasions, including the ones paid to his account to share, and he has been sharing it without any complaint,” the widow said.
Asked if her husband had a health challenge before the incident, she said a nurse who ran a test on her husband at a health centre in the community within the week was surprised at her husband’s death.
According to her, the nurse said, “If her husband had high blood pressure, she would have detected it the day he came for a checkup.”
“I am not suspecting anything, but what I know is that his death is not ordinary because he was not sick. He ate very well before leaving the house,” she said when asked if she suspected any foul play in her husband’s death.
The late Marcus had five children. Her first daughter has just written the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board Examinations, but there was no money for her school fees, the widow told PREMIUM TIMES.
The remains of the late APC ward chairperson would be buried on 10 October, according to the widow.
“I need help to take care of my children. Three are still in secondary school, while the last one is in primary school,” she said.
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