A Board of Directors (BOT) member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Emmanuel Ibok Esisen, has refuted a local newspaper publication attributed to him over the conduct of the party’s primaries in Akwa Ibom State.

Addressing a crowded press conference in Uyo on Friday, Senator Essien described the story, captioned ‘Ibokessien attacks Akpabio’ with the Senator’s picture in the local tabloid THE INK, as an “incredible invention”.

He stated that the publishers, LENS-INK Media Communications, Uyo, did not even know his correct name, stressing that he would have ignored the publication but chose to do otherwise because of “times like this when drowning politicians invent stories to misdirect delegates and voters using incredible names.”

He re-affirmed that he stood by the resolutions passed by all the PDP stakeholders of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, “That we support our dear Governor, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio (CON), for the Senate seat of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District come 2015 because of his high level of performance in the Uncommon Transformation of the state.”

Senator Essien also made it clear that they stood with the party in zoning the governorship position to Eket Senatorial District and have resolved to vote Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel during the party congress for nomination of governorship candidate of the party and general elections.

Senator Essien, who is also a Federal Commissioner in the Revenue Allocation and Mobilisation Commission, Abuja, equally said that they stood “with the party and the good people of Akwa Ibom State to support and vote the President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, for a second term in office.”

He stressed that he did not grant interview to any media outfit on the outcome of the State House of Assembly nomination “which was completely free and fair.” He advised that “the false publication should completely be discarded.”

•Photo shows Senator Ibok Essien.