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PDP dismisses report on closure of Akwa Ibom church

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom has dismissed a report on the closure of an Apostolic Church of Nigeria in the state by the government.

A report emerged on social media last weekend that Governor Udom Emmanuel had ordered the closure of the church in Onna for organising a thanksgiving service for the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the state.

The report added that the governor also ordered the suspension of the church lead pastor, E. Henshaw, for organising the service.

However, in a statement issued on Monday by its Publicity Secretary in the state, Borono Bassey, the party described the report as a deliberate attempt by mischief-makers to tarnish the governor’s reputation.

The statement read: “On Sunday, October 2, 2022, while Nigerians and Akwa Ibom people were still in a reflective mood of our nation’s independence celebrations, a few agents of retrogression in their desperate bid to turn attention to themselves, went into their Falsehood Manufacturing Factory and immediately produced a completely untrue report claiming that a certain church in ONNA has been sealed on the orders of the government.

“While those who trafficked the report were too afraid to expressly state which of the governments they were referring to in that attention-seeking drivel of a report, they however made innuendoes which were suggestive of the fact that they were making reference to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.

READ ALSO: PDP names Akwa Ibom Gov, Emmanuel, as DG, Campaign Council

“Although it is gratifying to have seen the majority of the social media commentators, mostly of Akwa Ibom descent pick holes in the outrightly false story, we must however put it out in the public domain that immediately that tripe was put in circulation in the public domain, as a party deeply interested in sustaining the God-given peace we enjoy in Akwa Ibom State, several calls were put across to the leadership of the Apostolic Church in that field to ascertain the veracity of the story and the bewildered leaders stated that nothing of the sort happened.

“We, however, present the authors of that report with posers which we would want them to respond to? First, Is Governor Udom Emmanuel a clergy or member of any of the churches mentioned in that report, to have directed the suspension of a priest?

Secondly, has the said political party applied and paid for any public venue that is not encumbered and they were denied use?”

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