Advert Declaring Support for Uduaghan a ruse' - ACN

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has disclaimed an advertorial on page 9 of Sunday Vanguard's edition of Jan. 2nd 2011, purportedly assuring the former governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, of the party's support in the forthcoming governorship rerun in the state.  

  National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of the party, said those who signed the advertorial, one Dr. Mike Emu and Comrade Igho Ambrose, were impersonating the Chairman and Secretary respectively of the Delta State Chapter of the ACN.  

  The party said for the avoidance of doubt, only the executive committee of the Delta State Chapter of the ACN led by Adolo Okoti-Eboh (Chairman) and Jaro Egbo (Secretary) is duly recognised by both the national executive committee of the ACN and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).  

  ACN said further: ''As a matter of fact, it was discovered   that the former executive of the party in Delta State, led by Sam Egwerome, was actually on the payroll of the former governor of Delta State, Dr. Uduaghan, and the Delta State PDP. The ACN actually lost its   governorship bid at the election petition tribunal due to the complicity between the Sam Egwerome-led executive and the Delta State PDP, hence the expulsion of both Egwerome and his commander-in-mischief Duncan Ewhere from the ACN at the last convention of the party in Benin City, Edo State.  

  ''The characters posing as ACN executives in the offensive advertorial in question are therefore unknown to our party, the ACN, at the ward, local or state government levels in Delta State or at the national level.  

  ''The party therefore not only unequivocally dissociates itself from the content and form of the offensive advertorial in question, but wishes to make it clear that the ACN will never - as a political party - co-operate or collaborate with the PDP in any election at whatever level, as there can never be a basis for such co-operation, given the fundamental and irreconcilable differences in our core values and orientation.  

  ''The ACN will never be persuaded, no matter the carrots being dangled, to endorse the candidature of Dr. Uduaghan in the Delta rerun or any PDP candidate in any election for that matter.  

  ''All ACN members in Nigeria in general and Delta State in particular are therefore advised to ignore the said advertorial, which is nothing but another ploy by the PDP to rig the Delta State governorship rerun by deceit.''