IN THE NEWS: AKPABIO WILL ADD NO ELECTORAL VALUE TO APC – EKPOTU, EX AKWA IBOM DEPUTY GOVERNOR
‘His defection is a sign of APC’s imminent destruction’
By Levinus Nwabughiogu
………..ABUJA-Former Deputy Governor of Akwa State, Engr. Patrick Ekpotu who served under Senator Godswill Akpabio has said that the defection of his former boss from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC smacks an imminent destruction of the party.
Ekpotu, who also served alongside Akpabio as commissioners under former governor Victor Attah’s administration, and later as deputy governor to Akpabio is his first term in office as governor of Akwa Ibom state added that the defection showed that the senator was incapable of operating as an opposition outside the state power apparatus. In a strong worded statement on Monday, the former deputy governor said that Akpabio’s move to APC was long awaited, stressing that all odds are now against the party and the senator.
He said: “His recourse is often to rely heavily on apparatus of State security to cow people into submission and dominion. His decision to embrace the APC now, among others, is because APC is today the custodian of that State apparatus. And I think he is highly mistaken for misapprehending that President Buhari is cut out in the weaknesses of former President that was recklessly used to his political peril and became the first to dump him. “Even if Buhari avails him the security apparatus, remember that Akpabio is not used to elections which is the norm today but ‘return of entire number of votes’ in INEC register to himself. But With INEC’s card reader system today, hardly would we have such number of votes in consideration, let alone to be “returned”. So all odds are against him and the APC.” Akpabio’s defection, according to his former deputy, will only “shift the theater of totalitarianism, confusion and eventual destruction to his new abode.”
Ekpotu added that a rude shock awaited Akpabio who recently resigned as the Senate Minority Leader. “A journey into that past rather evokes disdain and repugnance following its glaring shortcomings to which the people had long answered objections and cannot allow a replay no matter where Akpabio derived his inspiration. I see, not just the PDP in the State, but also majority of its citizens playing this out strongly, stoutly, and committedly in days ahead,” he stated.
Dismissing the comparison between Akpabio and Senate President, Bukola Saraki’ defections, as misplaced, the former deputy governor argued that, “In Saraki’s Kwara, his ancestors may have left behind many distinctions to give him a dominating hold on that State and their people cherish it. Unfortunately it is not so in aAkwa Ibom where no such commensurate wand is inspired, be it in depth, attainments, legacies and fairness.” Senator Akpabio, Ekpotu stated is “Surrounded by those who constantly drum to him the beauty of his weird world, he get encouraged to live in delusion. He is fully conscious of these shortcomings but rather than work to improve on them, pretends that all is well. And APC will soon know his true value.”
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/08/akpabios-defection-to-apc-sign-of-partys-imminent-destruction-ekpotu-ex-akwa-ibom-deputy-gov/
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