The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has denied ever berating the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or casting aspersion on the ability of Nigerian youths to excel.
The senator who reacted against a report by one Fred Asuquo claiming that he blasted the PDP, said the claim was totally untrue.
He described the publication which was made in the social media as a smear campaign by some of his detractors ahead of the 2019 general election.
In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Anietie S. Ekong, Akpabio said in view of the smear campaign sponsored against him by some unknown persons, the question to ask is: Who is afraid of Akpabio?
The statement by Akpabio’s media aide reads in part: “The attention of the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio CON, has been drawn to a malicious publication dripping with hate with the caption, “Akpabio blasts PDP, his party.”
“For the records, Akpabio is a highly respected party man who as Governor of Akwa Ibom State between 2007 and 2015 made the PDP an icon of development nationally and internationally.
“The write up by an unknown Fred Asuquo is not only false but part of the campaign of calumny started against Senator Akpabio since January 2018, as a precursor to the upcoming presidential election primaries in October/November 2018.
“The write up is false, baseless and malicious and the figment of the evil imagination of the writer and his sponsors.
“Senator Akpabio is yet to listen to the tape of the President’s interview in London where he allegedly made a statement concerning the Nigerian youths and till date has not commented on it, he has read on the social media and newspapers the said statement and reactions but is yet to watch the interview and therefore could not have blasted PDP.
“Can the writer come up with details of where and when the Distinguished Senator blasted his party or supported the denigration of Nigerian youths? Even the language in the write up is uncouth and does not represent the style and dignity of Senator Akpabio.”
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The faith of the legislator in the Nigerian youth was said to have been displayed in his involvement of thousands of youths in the governance structure of the state in his eight year tenure as Governor of Akwa Ibom State between 2007 and 2015.
The average age of Akpabio’s cabinet members was 35/45 years, his media aide said.
He was said to have been labeled the “Uncommon Transformer who turned Boys into Men,” as a result of the feat.
On his position on the ongoing electoral act amendment bill before the National Assembly, particularly the issue of the sequence of election, Senator Akpabio said he recently opposed the new sequence brought up in the Senate by the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Nazif as being capable of portraying the red Chambers in bad light.
The statement reads: “The reason was obvious: In the first sequence passed by both Chambers of the National Assembly and sent to Mr President for assent, the proposed first election was the Senate/House of Representatives followed by others.
“The current proposal which generated uproar in both Chambers was a sequence now proposing the governorship election first and ending with the presidential election.
“Senator Akpabio being a consistent politician cautioned that the new proposal could be misinterpreted by members of the public that the Senate was approbating and reprobating and therefore opposed it.
“Accordingly, the House of Representatives and the Senate returned the new proposal to the Committee for further legislative action.
“Senator Akpabio deserves to be allowed to have peace.”
The senator said already, the people of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District had already endorsed him as their Senator for a second term come 2019, hence the campaign against him should be disregarded.
