Friday, February 07, 2014

Akpabio spits fire!! …says Sunny Jackson, Rita Akpan, Nelson Effiong, Ors are expired politicians. .....They will never have a finger in the emergence of the new governor in 2015. ….Even their children has rejected them as political leaders



 A major battle is underway between the executive Governor of Akwa Ibom state and some senior party chieftain of the Peoples Democratic party in Akwa Ibom state as the Governor has described them as expired politicians whose reign in the political landscape of Akwa Ibom had long gone.

Governor Godswill Akpabio who was reacting to a two-page paid congratulatory and Solidarity message published on the Nation Newspaper of Tuesday, January 28 2014, issued and signed by some senior leading chieftain of the party in Akwa Ibom state, described those who sponsored and signed the message as expired politicians who were bent on fanning the embers of discord and ethnicity in the state.

Akpabio recalled that these same politicians were the ones who had sent series of petitions to the presidency claiming that the Governor was developing his senatorial district, at the expense of other senatorial district, even as he attributed the recent speculations about his vice presidential ambition to the chieftains whom he described as old men blinded by selfish ambitions.

The Governor who was visibly angered by the paid advertorial fumed “Just pick up the Newspaper and run through the names of the all those who signed that advertorial. I can tell you will all amount of sincerity that there is not a single one of them that I have not empowered. You want me to mention names? When I came into office in 2007, I was very loyal to all of these people. There is not a single one of them that I have not awarded atleast two contracts to just to make them happy. But they are the ones using the proceeds of that empowerment to sponsor series of demeaning and injurious publications against me. I am tired of playing soft just for peace to reign”

He said it was consequent on the need to stand shoulder to shoulder with them in the dirty battle they have started that he decided to throw the contest for the next occupant of the hilltop mansion open to all contestants.

“Right now, I have drop the candidates I had in mind so that I can square up equally with these ungrateful elements, let me call them like that. They had accused me of  not allowing the contest to be open to all contestants and I have thrown it open to all contestants. Let me see how that will translate into the emergence of their celebrated candidate.

In that forthcoming elections, especially the Governorship election, I may not be too sure who will emerge as the Governor come 2015 because of the recent decision of the National working Committee of the party, but I can swear that I KNOW THOSE WHO CAN NEVER BECOME GOVERNORS OF THIS STATE! And that their celebrated candidate is one of them.

Chief Akpabio insisted that even the children and family members of those who signed the spurious advertorial  had rejected them as a greater number of their children and family members were in his camp.

It would be recalled that that 68 senior chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state had on the Nation Newspaper of Tuesday, January 28 2014 sponsored a two-page (Pages 62& 63)paid congratulatory message addressed to the New National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Adamu Mu’azu congratulating him over his emergence as the new National chairman of the party.

The 68 chieftains of the party stated in the statement which read in part: “On behalf of the teeming members of our great party, the people democratic party, PDP in Akwa Ibom state, we, the elders and stakeholders of Akwa Ibom state PDP, wish to most heartily congratulate you your excellency, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu on your election as the National Chairman of our dear party. We note the rancor-free manner of your emergence as National Chairman of our Party and see this as a good omen for the much needed healing and rebuilding process in the party. We also note your agenda of reconciliation of members who are aggrieved over issues in the party and wish you every success in this respect and in your overall tenure as the National Chairman of the party.

Paragraph 4 of the advertorial which is believed to be the paragraph that irked Governor Godswill Akpabio reads: “In our earnest desire to achieve the success of the party at the polls, we demand in totality, open, free, and fair party primaries for the 2015 elections, in keeping with the tradition of electoral contests in the state where, for instance, in 2006, the incumbent Governor, Godswill Akpabio contested against 57 other aspirants from all the senatorial districts in the state. 

The tradition of open, free and fair contest was also in display in the 2010 gubernatorial primary in which the incumbent governor Godswill Akpabio of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district faced Engineer frank Okon of Eket Senatorial district and Imoh Udo of Uyo senatorialdistrict. It is for this reason that Frank Okon is still in court contesting the outcome of the 2010 gubernatorial primary. That is the clamour of the overwhelming number of the people in the state.

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