The Senator representing Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, Godswill Akpabio, has described as malicious and false the report that he called the All Progressives Party, APC, evil.
Some social media platforms had circulated a report quoting the former governor of Akwa Ibom as saying: “I was a Commissioner for eight years and Governor for eight years under PDP, but now I have only spent three months and I am finished politically, what type of evil party is this?”
A statement issued by the Special Assistant, Media, to the Senator, Anietie Ekong stated that he, Akpabio, never made any such comments.
It said: “We wish to state without fear of contradiction that this is the concoction by whoever authored it. The assertion is factually inaccurate. Chief Godswill Akpabio never served as a Commissioner for eight years so he could never have so claimed nor could he have described his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “evil party.”
“Distinguished Senator Akpabio has no regret whatsoever for the decision he took as a nationalist to join the All Progressives Congress and lend his support to President Muhammadu Buhari, whom he sees as an upright leader with the interest of the generality of the Nigerian people, especially the masses at heart. Given similar circumstances and situations, Senator Akpabio would still take the same decision over and over again. He has no apology for his resolve.”
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The statement expressed the Senator’s satisfaction with his contributions towards the reelection of Buhari for a second term of four years.
It also restated the Senator’s conviction that he was rigged out of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District election of February 23, 2019.
“As the National Coordinator of the Presidential Support Committee and the South-South Director of the Presidential Campaign Council during the last general elections, Senator Akpabio is proud to have worked with other Progressives for the re-election of President Buhari. He remains a committed member of the APC and will join hands and work with the President in any way to move the country forward.
“There is no gainsaying that Senator Akpabio was rigged out of the race for re-election as Senator to represent the good people of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District. He’s presently at the Election Petition Tribunal to reclaim his stolen mandate and has the support of his party, the APC. He has implicit confidence in the judiciary to restore his mandate,” the statement further said.
Ekong insisted that “the quote attributed to him, Akpabio, is the handiwork of political jobbers and mischief–makers, who in recent times have elevated political propaganda to high art,” urging the general public to discountenance “these shenanigans trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to malign the integrity of Senator Akpabio.”