A youth wing of the Young Progressives Party, has expressed displeasure towards the manner in which the name of the party has been put to disrepute and ridicule by members of the public owing to the recent conviction and jailing of a Senator, Bassey Albert Akpan.

They have also insisted that the offenses for which Bassey Albert has been jailed were committed while he was still a PDP member and has nothing to do with their party.

In a press conference organised by the group, Young Progressives Party Accountability Ambassadors(YPPAA),led by the chairman, Comrade Itohowo Umoh, he noted that the trending headlines of the past few days following the conviction of Sen. Bassey Albert by the Federal High Court sitting at Uyo have projected their party in a negative light.

He further frowned at the attempt from some quarters to paint the party as being sympathetic to a judicially established official corruption.

"For the avoidance of doubt and to safeguard the minds of the public from being polluted with the impression that YPP condones corruption, we wish to categorically distance ourselves from the corrupt act and the culminating conviction.

“YPP is a party with lofty moral ideals usually absent in other political parties.

"Our party is known for due process, accountability and integrity. These virtues are copiously given pre-eminence even in the constitution of the party.”

The group maintained that, “as a party with ideology aimed at effective governance, probity and accountability we eschew official corruption no matter the guise it takes.

“Ours is a young party with a progressive philosophy that sets the standard in political morality in Nigeria. "

Comrade Umoh, said that their reason is based on verifiable facts that the charges were preferred prior to the convict joining YPP as the criminal trial was concluded in May 2022 while the convict joined the party in July 2022, adding that the events leading to the facts giving rise to the corruption charges did not take place in YPP.

He further said that those things do not represent the core values of their party stating that It is the vision of their party to build an egalitarian society driven by mentally progressive and young innovative leaders devoid of greed.

"The party is aiming to establish a free and democratic society in which the powers and actions of government are lawful and where those in authority are held accountable to the people.

"Even though the person in question later purportedly secured a YPP gubernatorial ticket under suspicious circumstances, which is still a subject of an ongoing litigation, we reject the attempt to smear our party with the mire of corruption.

“We disown everything relating to that conviction as they do not represent the virtues propagated by YPP as a party and us as a group within the party. We will not be blackmailed into pampering corruption in the name of party solidarity"

Umoh said that they believe that despite any temporary setback that appears to derail the party from its good plans for Akwa Ibom people, their party will bounce back stronger with a more credible and capable candidate to secure victory in the coming elections.

He also expressed unflinching support for the party and its candidates in the forthcoming general elections, particularly their presidential candidate, Prince Malik Ado-Ibrahim who has an agenda to reset Nigeria and make it work for the good of all.