The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio, over his alleged plots with the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Obong Nsima Ekere, (yet to resign NDDC Managing Director), to trigger violent crisis in Akwa Ibom State, as a strategy to stalemate elections in the state in 2019.
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party described such plots as wicked, infantile and cowardly, saying “it is unfortunate that Akpabio, who knows that there is no way the APC can win in any election in Akwa Ibom, is now allowing himself to be used by the APC as an agent of violence, against the state he once governed”.
The PDP noted that Akpabio is hugely frustrated over his inability to penetrate the political structure of the state, which has rejected him since he crossed over to the APC, but expressed shock that he could lean towards violence against his own people, just to satisfy his paymasters in Abuja, as well as his selfish and egoistic tendencies.
“The PDP is also already aware of how Senator Akpabio and the APC mobilized a pack of hack writers to engage in grave propaganda, fabricate and circulate strings of spurious allegations and personal attacks on Governor Udom Emmanuel, just to tarnish his image and make him look immoral and ineffective”.
The party said it is similarly privy to the pact between Akpabio and APC leaders, including the APC governorship candidate, Nsima Ekere, to orchestrate strings of security issues, cause tension in the state and set the stage of violence ahead of the elections.
“This is in addition to the plot by the APC to use all opportunity to cause havoc and blame the PDP so as to create an impression of a crisis-soaked state.
“Recently, a former aide of the governor, one Mr. Mfon Udeme, who resigned and decamped to the APC reportedly had robbery attack at his residence.
He reportedly called the police and reported the issue, only for Senator Akpabio and the APC leadership to organise a press conference in the state to allege that the state government was responsible, claiming an assassination attempt.
“This happened even when the police authority in the state has come out to say that the incident was not an assassination attempt, and that indeed, the said aide had, while he was still an S.A to the governor, been attacked by armed robbers in the same vicinity where he lives.
“It will be recalled that the APC in the state, two weeks ago, had raised similar false claims and wrongly pointed accusing fingers at the PDP Government in the state, when they purported that gun shots were fired into the bedroom of the APC Governorship Candidate, Mr Nsima Ekere, in apparent assassination attempt.
“Before reporting the matter to the security agencies for investigation, Don Etiebet, an APC chieftain, had within minutes of the alleged incident called a press conference and read a long well written press statement in a manner which made every thinking member of the society wonder whether the alleged gun shots were masterminded by the APC hierarchy as part of their overall false security alarm, as part of the build-up for a planned postponement of elections in Akwa-Ibom state to separate days where they can flood the state with compromised security operatives to terrorize and intimidate the state like they did during Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections.
“The PDP knows that this desperation by Akpabio and APC in Akwa Ibom State is not unconnected with his frustration after hundreds of militant youths in his senatorial zone, who he wanted to use as thugs to rig elections for the APC, have all disarmed, abandoned him and embraced the PDP, having realized the evil plots of the APC.
“Senator Akpabio knows that Akwa.Ibom is a core PDP state and that no amount of machination by him and the APC can change that fact. Senator Akpabio also knows that he committed a political suicide immediately he crossed over to the APC and as such should learn to contain his frustration instead of this plot to turn the state into a theatre of violence for his selfish gain”.
