2019 Elections: Akwa Ibom government set to demolish Buhari’s presidential house

It was alleged that the Akwa Ibom state government wants to pull down the campaign office of President Buhari because of its closeness to the Government House.

The state government, however, said the building was not the only one marked for demolition in the area. Less than three days after the campaign office of President Muhammadu Buhari in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital was opened, the state government has reportedly marked the building for demolition, triggering political tension.

The four-storey building on Wellington Bassey Way, christened “Hill Top Mansion”, is not far from the Government House. According to sources, the state government has been uncomfortable with the closeness of the campaign office to the Government House which informed the decision to pull it down. It was gathered that the campaign office was launched on Monday, April 23, by the National Committee of Buhari’s Support Groups (NCBSG) which vowed to win the state in both the presidential and governorship polls.

It was revealed that the office building is the only structure designated on the road for demolition by the Uyo Capital City Development Agency (UCCDA), an agency of the state government. There are also speculations that the state government also plans to revoke the building’s Certificate of Occupancy before proceeding on the demolition.

According to a source: “The plan is first to revoke the Certificate of Occupancy by the government before demolition. But the question is why would the government condescend so low as to do that? Recall that in 1999, 2003 and 2015, many politicians had their campaign offices on the same Barrack Road and the heavens did not fall. Is it because they were all PDP members and this is APC?”

It was equally alleged that the commissioner of police and the state director of Department of State Services (DSS) were asked to stop the NCBSG office inauguration, but both security heads were said to have refused to act in line with the directive.

They, however, reportedly provided adequate security for the event which attracted a very large crowd. According to sources, the state government had approached the owner of the building to take over the premises, but the owner was said to have told the state government that NCBSG had already acquired it for use. However, speaking on the development, the chairman of Uyo City Capital Development Agency, Enobong Uwah, told Vanguard that the building was not the only one in Uyo capital city marked.

He urged owners of such buildings to present their papers, or start the process of acquiring the relevant papers for their buildings.

He said: “Does it mean that any building marked is for demolition? The announcement has been on the radio that anybody who does not have the necessary papers should come and do their papers. It is not just that building. It is an on-going exercise. We should not politicize everything.

“I asked my staff about the building and they said that the building was marked early April. So, go to other buildings and they are also marked. If you have papers, you come to the office and present them and if you don’t have, you start the process to obtain the relevant papers.”

It was reported that effort to speak with the state coordinator of NCBSG, Ignatius Edet, for reaction proved abortive as he did not answer his calls. Meanwhile, It was previously reported that traditional rulers in Imo state endorsed President Buhari for his second term 2019 re-election bid.

The monarchs made the decision during a meeting at the Okigwe local government area of the state. In a communique read by His Royal Majesty Eze Oliver Ohanwe, the monarchs said President Buhari has remained selfless since becoming Nigeria‘s president in 2015. Ohanwe said the president has also shown commitment to ensuring a common good for all Nigerians.

Credit: Vanguard