Former Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the answer of the people of Akwa Ibom State would give to the lies, outright falsehood and sponsored violence by the state government against APC members, would be a resounding victory of the party at the polls in February, 2019.
Akpabio stated this while speaking with news men at the National Assembly, shortly after Plenary.
A release from the media office of the Senator quoted him as saying, ” my people will answer the PDP- led government in my state with a resounding victory over the PDP in February. I dont know of your own states, but I know of my state. ”
Akpabio, who was reacting to an allegation by Senator Bassey Albert, that the state chapter of the APC was planning to disrupt elections in the state, challenged him to produce evidence of plans, saying” what evidence has Senator Albert on the alleged plan by the APC to use Federal might to win or disrupt the February elections in Akwa Ibom State?”
The action of Akpan, he noted, ” was simply the aggressor playing the role of the victim. I believe strongly that there is no evidence to proove such spurious allegation as raised by the PDP senator.”
“Since my defection to the APC in August, there have been massive movements from PDP to APC in the state. It was that spurious and unfounded allegation that I wanted to react to on the floor of the Senate, before I was interrupted.” Akpabio disclosed.
Speaking further, Akpabio noted that ” I can tell you today that even though the government in Akwa Ibom State is PDP, the voters are 80 percent APC. ”
He revealed that , “it is actually the PDP that is causing insecurity in the state and not APC, because in the very recent past, a lot of government appointees had resigned from office, thereby, causing instability and fear in the government, hence the recent attacks on them.”
Akpabio listed, the various attempts on the life of a former aide of the governor on Electoral Matter, Barrister Mfon, less than 24 hours after he granted an interview to Thisday newspaper, where he revealed that over 200 of the governor’s aides would soon resign and join the APC.
He also made mention of attacks on his Ukana residence few days after his defection, attacks on the residence of the the MD NDDC, Obong Nsima Ekere, a day after his emergence as the APC governorship candidate, not forgetting attacks on his former aide on Dispora Matters, Mr Clement Ikpatt, for being critical of the Emmanuel-led administration.” All these attacks, he stated had been reported to the state police command and other security agencies and investigations are ongoing”.
Akpabio called on his colleagues, in the National Assembly to use the platform for the betterment of Nigerians, saying,” let us use the platform of the Senate to discuss national issues that would be beneficial to generality of Nigerians and not trivial things that you have no proof of. I believe strongly that it is not he, who reports to the Police first that wins a case, but through the thorough and careful investigation of the matter by the police and other security operatives, that the truth would be unveiled,” he said.
Senator Akpabio advised those who defected from one political party to another to borrow a leaf from him as a former minority leader, saying he honourably resigned the position when he defected from PDP to APC to pave way for PDP to elect their minority leader.
“It’s a tradition all over the world that when you defected to another party even as a Senate President like Saraki did, to resign from the office of the Senate President.
“APC is still the majority party and they need to form a new leadership. The Senate President should honourably resign just like I did,” Mr Akpabio insisted.
Speaking further on his experiences as a member of the APC, he said, he was fulfilled being a member of a ruling party, adding that he defected to the APC in national interest.
He further explained that his advice and suggestions must not be looked at with suspicion being a part of the ruling party now.
He came hard on his former party, PDP for doing nothing in the South-South in the last 16 years, adding that PDP government did not construct a kilommetre of road for those years.
“Having moved from PDP to APC, I felt fulfilled. My advice and suggestions in the national interest would not be looked upon with suspicion by the government in power again.
“I moved to APC in national interest. I don’t believe in bringing government into being and will not support that government to succeed.
“In the last 16 years, I did not see one kilometre of road done by PDP government in Akwa Ibom state, but today, APC government is constructing the road from Akwa Ibom to Calabar.
“The road has been a death trap and I must thank this government for that.
“From the national and local perspectives, people look at me as a leader and I must tell you that in 2019, it would be difficult for any other party to penetrate the South-South.”
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