PDP Faction Calls for Release of Detained Activist in Akwa Ibom

A faction within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State has called for the immediate release of social media activist and community advocate, Princess God’sown Udoito.

The group, known as the PDP Advocates for Peace and Justice, made the demand in a statement on Sunday, expressing concern over what it described as the harassment of a citizen for peaceful expression.

Udoito was recently arraigned by the police on charges including criminal defamation and publishing false information related to her advocacy concerning the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve an ancestral land claimed by the Ekid people.

The group argued that her advocacy falls within legitimate public discourse and should not be criminalized. They urged the state government to focus on dialogue rather than legal action.

Meanwhile, stakeholders from the Ibeno Local Government Area have rejected recent claims by the Ekid People’s Union before the State Land Use Allocation Committee. A spokesperson for Ibeno described the Ekid presentation as misleading and insisted that land administration is constitutionally vested in the state governor.

The long-standing dispute over the oil-rich Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve has periodically fueled tensions between the Eket and Ibeno communities.