The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Akwa Ibom governor

  • Family, friends demand immediate release of Gov Emmanuel’s aide

    Family members and friends of the Senior Special Assistant to Akwa Ibom Governor on security matters, Captain Iniobong Ekong rtd have asked for his immediate release from the custody of the Nigerian Army.

    Ekong was reportedly invited by the GOC 6 Division, Major General Jamil Sarham to Port -Harcourt, Rivers state following a petition allegedly written by Senator Godswill Akpabio.

    Mr. Iniobong Edem, a serving councillor in Nsit Ubium local government area was also picked up with him, the family alleged.

    The family and friends of the governor’s aide believe Ekong is in the detention of 6 Division, Nigerian Army Port Harcourt as he has not been seen since February 22nd, 2019, the eve of the presidential/national assembly elections.

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    Talking to reporters on Tuesday at Watbridge Hotel Uyo, Abasiekong Ekong, who is the elder brother to Captain Ekong rtd, said his brother has been missing since February 22 this year.

    According to him, the last contact they had with Captain Ekong rtd was when they spoke with him was a phone call to his office by 5pm the day he was invited by the GOC 6 Division Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt.

    The spokesperson of the family said they were yet to receive a formal arrest warrant or legal summons concerning the matter.

    ”This gentleman has a wife and children, aged parents and siblings, friends and associates who are highly distressed about his whereabouts since 22nd February 2019. That is eleven clear days since he has been last seen.

    ”It should be noted that Captain Iniobong Ekong rtd is the senior special assistant to the governor of Akwa Ibom state on security matters and has served the state faithfully in this capacity with intense passion for truth and justice, upholding all his actions and duty within the ambits of the law and principles of equity and love for the progress and development of Akwa Ibom state,” he said.

    The family and friends of the detained SSA has therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Acting Inspector General of Police, the National Human Rights Commission and other relevant authorities to intervene in the matter.

  • Ekere promises to serve one term if elected Akwa Ibom governor

    The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Nsima Ekere, has promised to serve a single term of four years if elected governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2019.

    Ekere, who is contesting on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), gave the commitment yesterday at the grand solidarity/reception rally organized by the people of Akwa Ibom South (Eket) senatorial district for him and President Muhammadu Buhari at the QIC Primary School, Eket town.

    The NDDC boss is from Akwa Ibom South (Eket) senatorial district as Governor Udom Emmanuel.

    Speaking at the rally Ekere, who was encouraged to contest by party leaders across the three senatorial districts of the state, said he was going to run on the condition that he does a single term to make way for Uyo senatorial district in the spirit of power rotation among the three zones of the state.

    “I have been given this form. I was not ready to say whether or not I would run. Well I was part of the government in year 2011 to 2015 and

    I was part of the decision making that the governorship of Akwa Ibom state must rotate from senatorial district to senatorial district.

    “I was the arrow head of the fight that in 2015 the governorship  should come to Eket senatorial district and because of the agitation Senator Godswill Akpabio standing here who was the governor agreed and Akwa Ibom people agreed and the governorship came to Eket Senatorial district.

    “It therefore means that Eket senatorial district must have two terms till 2023. Today I have been given a form and I have been asked to run. I would run on one condition. The first condition and the only condition is that you must agree that I run for only one term.”

    Leaders of the party across the three senatorial districts of Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket had bought and presented the nomination and expression of interest form to the NDDC boss yesterday at the rally.

    The rally which was attended by a mammoth crowd of APC supporters from the three federal constituencies of the senatorial district was graced by bigwigs of the party including Senator Godswill Akpabio, Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, Chief Don Etiebet, the Managing Director of the Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone Authority (OGFTZA), Mr. Umana O. Umana among others.

    Leader of the party in the state and national caucus member, Chief Don Etiebet, who presented the forms to Ekere, said leaders of the party across the state decided to purchase the forms for the NDDC boss because they wanted him to replicate his sterling performance in the commission when he becomes governor in 2019.

    Etiebet said that though the APC in the state was yet to agree on direct primary or consensus arrangement for picking its governorship candidate, the stakeholders and member of the party in the 3 senatorial districts have endorsed Ekere for governorship.

    Senator Akpabio promised to canvass for votes across the state for the APC, assuring that Akwa Ibom would give Buhari over one million votes to return him for a second term in office.

  • Akwa Ibom governor set to release facts

    Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel has drawn the battle line with his predecessor, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

    Emmanuel, at an endorsement rally yesterday by the people of Eket Senatorial district at the Onna Township Stadium, said he would expose facts and figures about Akpabio’s administration if he was challenged.

    The governor said: “I have heard things, and I want to challenge anyone who thinks he has the truth to come out, I will use my personal money to hire CNN and other international media, AIT, Channels, NTA and  AKBC, let’s present facts to Nigerians, let’s see who would tell the truth and who will also tell a lie”.

    “However, the issue on ground is Akwa Ibom, it’s about the development of this state, it’s about our children in public schools who are excelling in international  competitions, it’s about the price of garri that we have drastically dropped, it’s about the unity of this state which we believe in”.

    He thanked the people of Eket Senatorial District for the endorsement and promised that the encouragement from all parts of the state has boosted his determination, not just to declare but to do more.

    Also, a factional Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Dr Udoma Bob Ekarika, and one-time governorship aspirant on the platform of the PDP, has gone back to PDP.

    Also abandoning the state chapter of the APC is the state’s Deputy Chairman , Mr Emmanuel Udoh, and the 2015 Director General of the party’s campaign organisation, Obongifiok Annie Asikpo.

    While addressing the Eket rally, one of the APC bigwigs, Asikpo described the APC as a party of bad people.

    He said having identified some good people within the party, he decided to pull them all back to root to enable them contribute to the state’s development.

    “APC is a party with majority of bad people, but I discovered that there are still very many good people in APC, so I decided to shake the party and bring every good persons back to the PDP.”

  • Akpabio: no rift with Akwa Ibom governor

    Akpabio: no rift with Akwa Ibom governor

    Senate Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio has denied reports of a rift between him and his successor, Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel.

    He described such insinuations as “the handiwork of political jobbers.”

    A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Anietie Ekong, said Akpabio is “satisfied with the performance of Governor Emmanuel.”

    It added that he could not be engaged in a feud with an administration that Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District played a significant role in its emergence.

    “It is obvious that the concerns raised by the senator during the end-of-the-year stakeholders’ meeting organised by the deputy governor that all was not well was misunderstood and political jobbers sought to feast on it.

    “What the senator said was that their house should be put in order so that the votes from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District would be intact for Governor Emmanuel in the next election.

    “Senator Akpabio is satisfied that the areas of concern raised by the stakeholders, which were explained by the governor during the follow-up meeting with  him to the satisfaction of the stakeholders present at the meeting, were receiving the attention of the government,” the statement said.

    Akpabio hailed the governor for working with security agencies to eliminate a notorious militant, Akaninyene Jumbo alias Iso Akpafid, who killed residents of Ukanafun Local Government and its environs and rendered many displaced in the last one year.

    He said with the killing of the hoodlum, peace would return to that part of the senatorial district.

    The statement said Senator Akpabio had pointed out that Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District would stand by Governor Emmanuel and pledged the support of the people towards the re-election of the governor with its over 500,000 votes.

    He cautioned those making inciting statements to create a wedge between the senator and the governor to desist, as they were doing so for their personal benefit.

    The lawmaker sued for peace and advised politicians to desist from politics of hatred and blackmail, which would not augur well for unity.