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Tag: Godswill Akpabio

  • PDP, Akpabio trade words over Obot Akara attack

    Elders of the People’s Democratic Party under the aegis of Akwa Ibom Elders and Stakeholders and Senator Godswill Akpabio on Friday traded words over the carnage in Obot-Akara Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

    The mayhem which occurred on the eve of last Saturday’s botched election led to the death of two persons and the burning down of 13 INEC vehicles in the area.

    The elders of the PDP who addressed a press conference at the banquet hall of the Government House, Uyo accused Senator Akpabio of masterminding the attack in order to cause panic and win the elections for the All Progressives Congress.

    But in swift reaction also on Friday, Senator Godswill Akpabio described the allegations as spurious, baseless and unfounded adding that elders were playing the victim complex of an impending defeat.

    Former Military Administrator of the state, Idongesit Nkanga, had, in a briefing earlier in the day accused senator Akpabio of hiring thugs from neighboring States.

    Nkanga who is the Director-General Mandate Organization, further alleged that Akpabio had assured the thugs of the protection from Aso Rock, the DSS, the Inspector General of Police and other paramilitary agencies to cause confusion that could lead to postponement of the polls in Akwa Ibom State.

    He said “We, the Elders of this State and Stakeholders have gathered here, to bring to the attention of Nigeria and the international community, the devious plan of the All Progressive Congress spearheaded by Senator Godswill Akpabio to cause widespread mayhem in the State with the view to disrupting the Presidential and National assembly elections scheduled for this Saturday, February, 23  2019.

    “Last night, Senator Akpabio held a secret meeting with the security agencies where he informed them that he has the permission of the Presidency to kill and maim all opponents and that nothing will happen to any officer who carries out the instruction.

    Nkanga claimed that Akpabio was acting in concert with the AIG Kimo, who is in charge of Zone 6 whom he alleged had sent Akapbio’s cousin brother, Idorenyin Akpabio to arrest PDP stakeholders and perceived opponent on trumped up charges.

    “The conduct last Saturday in Obot Akara where INEC buses were burnt with election materials was masterminded by Senator Akpabio.

    He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently disassociate himself from the evil boast of Senator Akpabio, that he has the full support of the President to maim and kill Akwa Ibom people in order to rig elections in his favour.

    Read Also: Akpabio and test of leadership

    Reacting to the allegations senator Godswill Akpabio, described the allegations as baseless and unfounded stressing that PDP was playing the victim complex of an impending defeat.

    Akpabio who spoke through his Special Assistant Media, Anietie Ekong, said “The attention of the former Senate Minority Leader and Senator representing Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, Senator Godswill Akpabio has been drawn to some spurious, baseless and unfounded statements credited to some Akwa Ibom Elders and Stakeholders on the forth-coming election.

    “It beats our imagination that the Elders could call a press conference to spew lies and falsehood and make a crude attempt to blackmail President Muhammadu Buhari, all in the name of politics. But it follows a familiar pattern of crying wolf since the defection of Senator Akpabio to the All Progressives Congress

    He added “It is nonsensical for anyone to claim that Senator Akpabio held a meeting with unnamed security agencies in the state and informed them that Mr President has given permission for him to “kill and maim all opponents and that nothing will happen to any officer who carries out the instruction.”

    “President Buhari is a responsible leader who is committed to the wellbeing of all Nigerians and could not have given any instructions on innocent Nigerians to be maimed and killed. It is most irresponsible politics to drag in the name of the President.

    “It is obvious that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is playing the victim complex because of the impending defeat that awaits them in the forth-coming elections in Akwa Ibom State.

    “Their strategy of crying wolf is a pretext to blackmail security agencies, distract them and procure leverage to bring thugs to operate during the elections.

    “It is instructive that during the botched Presidential and National Assembly elections, security agencies apprehended over 400 armed thugs, who confessed when they were paraded at the State Police Headquarters that they were hired by PDP chieftains to snatch ballot boxes and intimidate voters.

    “They are particularly angry that Mr President has directed security agencies to deal ruthlessly with thugs and ballot box snatchers so they seek to divert public attention and that of vigilant security agents while preparing grounds for the execution of their nefarious plot” he said.

  • INEC officials colluding with Gov Emmanuel, Akpabio alleges

    Former Akwa Ibom Governor Senator Godswill Akpabio has alleged some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were colluding with Governor Udom Emmanuel to compromise the forthcoming elections.

    He accused some of the INEC officials of being not completely independent, alleging they have been compromised by Governor Emmanuel.

    Akpabio told newsmen in Abuja the governor has deployed huge sums to entice voters and electoral officials.

    The former governor alleged Emmanuel has no single project to show and has consistently told the people that there is no money in the state, even after collecting refunds spent to construct federal roads by his government.

    He, however, expressed confidence President Muhammadu Buhari will emerge victorious in Saturday’s rescheduled presidential elections.

    The former Senate Minority Leader said: “You know that INEC is an Independent body but some of its officials are not totally Independent.

    “In some states, we have noticed some unholy alliances with the government in power in those states.

    “For example, in a place like Akwa Ibom, we have seen the body language of the government, which clearly shows that they will not be able to conduct free and fair elections, giving all the parties, particularly the APC, a level playing field.

    “This is very easy for you to see and from the body language of people they have recruited to run the affairs, including the ad hoc staff and other support staff for the election.

    “This can be seen from the body language and the kind of things that the trainees are being told. What the National Chairman observes about opposition against APC does exist.”

    He went on: “There are two things happening in my state. One is a lot of fake news coming from the opposition and secondly, is massive deployment of funds to buy people.

    “James Hardley Chase said in one of his books that fear is the key that opens the wallet of the rich.

    “He told the people that there was no money to do project and so, there is nothing on the ground in the state.

    “They have not been able to commission a single project. All the big me that come to my state, they take the churches to pray.

    “When former President Obasanjo came, they took him to church to pray but when they go to other states, they commission projects but nothing to commission in my state.

    “So, now that people are clamouring for change, money is now flowing all over the state. Fear opens the wallet of the rich that is what is happening to the opposition in my state.

    “You can only rig election in a place where you are popular. Today, the APC is all over Akwa Ibom state.

    “80-90 percent of the people are APC. So, when you go to rig election and you don’t succeed, you bring anarchy.”

    On the chances of Buhari, he said: “Nigerians know the difference between apples and oranges. The reality is that this President has done very well considering the fact he took us out of recession.

    “He met many projects on ground and is completing them such as the railway lines. He has invested in massive infrastructure never seen before.

    “I have been a governor and I know that federal budget usually contain 70 and sometimes 80 percent of recurrent expenditure and sometimes, what is left is less than 20 percent for capital projects.

    “But this President has been able to block the loopholes in the system and free more money for developmental purposes.

    “The TSA is a major innovation and as you know, some ministries were operating more than 50 accounts.

    “Today, we have been able to mobilise those funds into one account and over 30 percent of the budget now goes for capital projects. Nigerians are clamouring for infrastructural change and better educational facilities.”

  • Ex-deputy gov attacks Akpabio over corruption allegations

    A former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom state, Obong Chris Ekpenyong has attacked Senator Godswill Akpabio for accusing him of corrupt practices.

    Ekpenyong and Akpabio are contesting for the Ikot Ekpene (Akwa Ibom Northwest) Senatorial seat in the National Assembly in the February 19 elections on the platforms of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and All Progressives Congress(APC) respectively.

    Trouble started when Akpabio allegedly accused Ekpenyong of corruption and dishonesty in the handling of electrification contracts in Obot Akara local government area of the state when he served as deputy governor under former governor Victor Attah.

    Akpabio is also quoted to have said during a campaign rally at Obot Akara recently that Ekpenyong does not possess the credentials and integrity to represent his people at the Red Chambers of the National Assembly.

    “Chris Ekpenyong in 2006 sold all the materials released for rural electrification projects of Ikot Abia clan in Obot Akara Local Government Area including over 10 units of 200 KVA transformers, 33 KVA generators, MV cables, insulators and poles”, adding: “A good friend is better than a bad brother”, Akpabio is quoted to have said at the rally.

    But in a swift reaction, Ekpenyong at the weekend dismissed such allegation as “a mere fabrication spewed by a serial liar and desperate Akpabio who has lost out in the political equation of the district with the intent to score cheap political points”.

    “I am not a coward and I am not bothered by Akpabio senseless insinuations since those allegations do not resemble me. I have never in my life done any electrification project for Akwa Ibom State government, the government ministries are there, you can go and verify”.

    Obong Ekpenyong asserted that he never benefited from any contract from Akpabio in the state. Before becoming a Deputy Governor, I have been in business in the power sector, executing jobs and trading on power facilities and equipment since 1989, so people should ask Godswill where his company was before he was brought into the government of Obong Victor Attah.

    “I am a genuine businessman and employer of labour, my office is at No. 42, Osolo Way in Lagos and up till now, the business is still running, you know the ones in Akwa Ibom State and their locations”. I am not a thief because I was well groomed and trained from humble parents whom I also rewarded with a good home, cars and other essential things to make them proud of their son.

    “I challenge Godswill Akpabio to show the world the contract award papers for the said electrification projects executed by me as a deputy governor as well as when he came and stole the mandate as governor for 8 years”, he assured voters of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District that “no amount of threat and blackmail will deter me from rescuing your mandate from a known fraudster and blackmailer whose stock in trade is to deceive and dupe people of their hard-earned resources alongside some Igbo partners in a dubious office on top of tasty fried kitchen outlet on Opebi Road in Ikeja, Lagos ”.

    Ekpenyong dismissed as laughable the allegation by Akpabio that he embezzled funds meant for construction of Obot Akara Bridge and lamented that Akpabio is crossing the same bridge he (Ekpenyong) spent his N34m to construct for campaigns and got votes in Obot Akara in 2007, 2011 and 2015 without remembering the area afterwards.

    “As a deputy governor, I made a request for construction of this bridge to the then President Obasanjo at a Council of State Meeting, Abuja in 2003 and President Obasanjo directed the then Minister of Works, Chief Tony Anenih of blessed memory to construct the bridge for my people and other Nigerians.

    ”Armed with this directive, I therefore approached Union Homes Savings & Loans Limited who funded the construction of the bridge, and a total of N64m was spent on the project including the approach-roads.

    ”At the end, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works released only N30m to Union Homes while the balance of N34m which included bank charges and interest was paid by me to Union Homes, the records are there”.

    “I buried my parents with my personal money, Godswill Akpabio buried his mother with state funds and converted her grave into a secret vault where he stored part of the over N1.64trillion stole of the over N3trillion his infamous era received from the Federation Account between 2007 and 2015.

     

    “I have already petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate these allegations and compel Thief Godswill Akpabio to come and explain how he was able to acquire choice properties in Dubai, Lagos, Abuja and a multi-billion naira international school owned by his wife at Shelter Afrique, Uyo”, Ekpenyong said.

    He lamented that “for eight years of Akpabio administration, the only contract he awarded in my Obot Akara Local Government Area, is the abandoned 10km Oku Obom – Ikot Abasi Eduo – Ikot Out – Usaka Annang road awarded at N4.8b which only 4km is completed leaving 6km undone whereas the entire contract sum of N4.8b was removed from Akwa Ibom State coffers by Senator Akpabio as governor of Akwa Ibom State, the guy is just a rogue and EFCC must investigate this too”.

    Ekpenyong therefore, urged the people of the zone, especially eligible voters across the 10 Local Government Areas against being misled into returning a candidate who has already shown much disdain for his people and the party that brought him fame and fortune.

  • APC ready to win February poll, says Akpabio

    The former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is ready to win the February 16 Presidential election.

    Akpabio, who recently defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), also said that his former party has nothing to campaign with except criticism.

    According to him, the APC Presidential Campaign Council inaugural meeting at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja was to strategize on how to execute the campaign.

    He said that the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari will be the focal point in their campaigns.

    He said “I will say that APC is very poised not just to undertake very smooth and scintillating and enjoyable campaign but also very poised to win the next election.

    Read Also: Akpabio chides Saraki, Dogara

    “We have very few weeks to the general elections, first the Presidential election and we are quite ready. As you are aware, so far so good, we are running on the basis of our first term performance.

    “The achievements of Mr. President are all there for people to see and I think the entire country is quite excited quite unlike our colleagues in the PDP who do not seem to have anything except to criticize, attempt to run campaigns of calumny and false accusations against us in the APC.

    “Today (Thursday) we are meeting to restrategize and conclude, dot the i’s and cross the t’s in the campaign structure so that we can come out with not just a formidable campaigns across the country but also sensitive our people in terms of voter education, we are ready for it.” he said

  • Akpabio to politicians: Stop politicising tragedy

    A former Minority Leader of the Nigeria Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, has advised politicians to run decent campaigns and stop politicising tragedies, as the general elections approach.

    Akpabio, who is also a former governor of Akwa Ibom, who now represents Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

    He said that the unity of Nigeria was more important than politics, adding that all Nigerians should take steps to maintain that unity.

    “Nigerian politicians should learn to run decent campaigns and try to shy away from issues that can generate violence or further polarise our country as we approach the elections.

    “They should stop jubilation whenever we experience set back in the war against insurgency, it is a collective responsibility to ensure that Nigeria is safe and we should all show commitment to that cause.

    “The reason why we are contesting for political leadership in the first place is because there is a country called Nigeria; if Nigeria stops to exist today, our politics will become useless,’’ he said.

    Akpabio also urged politicians to see the advantage in the size and diversity of Nigeria and work hard to maintain its unity.

    “The reason why we are respected across the world is because of our population and our diverse ethnic configuration.

    “Politicians are supposed to use these factors to further engender peace and unity in the country, instead of creating hatred and enmity amongst their followers,’’ he said.

    The former governor also advised Nigerians to stop viewing “dividends of democracy’’ or political reward system in terms of appointment and contracts.

    “Nigerians should ensure that they elect good and committed leaders at all elections, and stop expecting patronage in terms of appointments or contracts.

    “Good governance and delivery of critical infrastructure are the best reward system that any leadership can give the citizenry, and any leader that does these deserves mass support,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that Akpabio, a former member of Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), decamped to the ruling All Progrissives Congress (APC) on Aug. 8, 2018. (NAN)

  • Preserving Akwa Ibom’s growth, prosperity

    Events in Akwa Ibom State in the last few months have shown a common resolve by its people to preserve the prosperity and growth Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration has tried to foster since 2015. This is evident in the unspoken but loud statement the people have made to the effect that the state is not for sale to the highest bidder, especially as the 2019 general elections approach.

    Perhaps, in no other area has this resolve been practically demonstrated than in the political scene, where a lot has happened to make the people see the need to stay united, in order to prevent the state from becoming a property to be owned by an individual. From the days of its founding fathers, Akwa Ibom had been a study in love, unity and consensus–until 2007.

    Before the celebrated defection of former governor and former Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in August, there had been stories of friction between him and the incumbent governor over control of the levers of power in the state. The constant frictions reportedly arose from refusal by the governor to be the puppet his predecessor wanted to make him.

    And when the former governor defected from the party that brought him from obscurity to limelight and prosperity, he found to his chagrin that his larger-than-life image was but a creation of the propaganda machine that sustained him during his eight-year tenure. That was when the resolve of the people to unite against hegemony by an individual began to manifest. Incidentally, it started with those that were thought to be his executioners in his bid to govern the state by proxy.

    All those he was touted to have brought to political relevance, who were supposed to have been his surrogates in the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel, refused to join him in his new venture. They resolved to stick with the governor, because they know he means well for the state, as opposed to an individual that sees the state from the narrow point of view of his own personal interests.

    Akpabio is alleged to be wealthier than the state he governed for eight years, despite the fact that it is the state with the highest monthly revenue allocation from Abuja (A higher percentage of the state’s allocation goes into settling the debts he piled up during his tenure).

    The source of his stupendous wealth is difficult to fathom and is a subject of speculation. It is the reason he was under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC), following a petition an indigene of the sate wrote against him, which bordered on allegations of fraud, embezzlement and money-laundering to the tune of N108 billion while in office.

    The feeling of resentment among the people of Akwa Ibom State towards the former governor is not unconnected with the allegation that he used his wealth to place himself in a position that would make him some sort of Alpha and Omega in the state likened in a manner of someone that owns the state. He tried to demonstrate this with attempt to control both the executive and legislative arms of government in the state – the most strategic arms for someone with uncontrollable appetite for power. But there was a general resistance to any attempt by him to have the state in his pocket.

    A school of thought in Akwa Ibom believes that Akpabio is being accommodated in APC for two main reasons. One, those that have not opposed his entry into the party have done so in order not to confirm his perception of himself as someone whose presence anywhere scares off those opposed to him. Second, those that have welcomed him with open arms are dealing with him using a long pole, because his real intention for joining the party is known to everybody, which is the fact that having failed in his bid to make Udom a puppet, he wants to position himself in his new party in the hope that it will come to power next year, so he can realise his ambition of being the emperor he could not be while in PDP.

    While they welcome his entry, believing he will use his well-known strategies of intimidation and violence to win elections for the party in 2019, they will be careful to ensure he does not overstretch his relevance, in the manner of trying to control government machinery the way he attempted unsuccessfully to do while in PDP, should his new party come to power.

    Analysts say Nsima Ekere, the APC governorship candidate in the 2019 election and one-time Akpabio deputy, has not forgotten how the former governor tried to have him impeached in order to obliterate him from the political scene.

    Thus a further resolve by the people of the state to make Akpabio understand, through words and actions, that Akwa Ibom is not a commodity he can acquire.

    On November 27, five lawmakers of the state house of assembly on the platform of APC who defected from PDP and had their seats declared vacant by the Speaker on the orders of a court surreptitiously sat for the purpose of removing the Speaker and the state governor. There was a general belief that while the hand was that of Esau, the voice was unquestionably Jacob’s.

    In a swift reaction, angry youths in Uyo swamped the premises of the assembly and attempted to lynch the fleeing lawmakers who were suspected to have been sponsored from outside the state capital. It was a clear evidence of the common resolve to ensure Akwa Ibom under Udom Emmanuel has no place for brigandage that was commonplace in the Akpabio era.

    Among political watchers in the state, there is a feeling that rather than be an asset, Akpabio’s entry into APC may turn out to be a liability to the party.

    Obong Victor Attah, under whom Akpabio served as Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, said shortly after his defection that the action would hurt APC’s chances in the 2019 elections in the state. He said if the party won the elections, it would be in spite of Akpabio, not because of him.

    Political watchers say Attah’s statement may have to do with Akpabio’s negative tendencies, which were prominent characteristics of his tenure, which have culminated in his efforts to practically own the state –a move that is being stoutly resisted by the people.

    • Uffot, a businessman, lives in Port Harcourt

  • Dana Air extends Akwa United sponsorship deal

    A Nigerian carrier, Dana Air, has extended its multi-million naira sponsorship deal with the Uyo based Akwa United FC of Akwa Ibom for the 2018/19 Nigeria Premier League season.

    The airline’s Media and Communications Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa, confirmed the development on Friday in Lagos.

    Ezenwa said that the deal was inked recently during a brief ceremony at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.

    He said: “We are back again to extend what we started last year. We believe in Akwa United and the club actually did well last season and looks good for the next season.

    ”We are also committed to developing sports, particularly football in Nigeria.

    “We are the first airline to have taken this step toward making our league glamorous, and we hope other credible organisations will follow because we believe that our league can actually get to that level.”

    According to him, Dana Air is not just about flying to Akwa Ibom, but contributing positively to the growth and development of the state.

    Read Also: Dana Air partners group for Nigerian economic summit

    He also congratulated Nigerians and the Super Eagles on their qualification for AFCON 2019 in Cameroon.

    “We are proud of the Super Eagles of Nigeria for bringing glory to our country and for encouraging us to continue to believe in our greatness,” Ezenwa said.

    Also, the Chairman of Akwa United, Paul Bassey, described Dana Air as worthy partners and expressed delight that the contract had been extended for another year.

    “We are particularly grateful to Dana Air for this amazing partnership with our club.

    “This partnership has relieved us of the stress of tedious road travels to league matches, especially the Northern and Western parts of this country.

    “The success story of Dana Air in the Nigerian air space in the last 10 years is a clear testimony of your commitment to Nigerians.

    “We are proud to be associated with Dana Airlines through this sponsorship agreement.

    “We will be going into a new NPFL season confident that we will do well to bring glory to all our fans, supporters as well as Dana Air for identifying with and staying by us,” Bassey said.

  • PDP accuses APC of instigating violence in A/Ibom, others

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised the alarm over what it declined as calculated attempts by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to instigate violence and breakdown of law and order in Akwa Ibom State.
    The plot, which the main opposition party said, was meant to be replicated in other littoral states under the control of the PDP with the view to forcefully taking over the leadership of the states in the 2019 general elections.
    At a joint media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan and the Publicity Secretary of the Akwa Ibom chapter of the PDP, Emem Obong, said the plot was being hatched in phases.
    Obong said the APC wanted to ensure that the Governor is presented as being overwhelmed by security situation in the state in order to bring in the Federal Government to aide a forceful takeover by the APC.
    Obong said, “The end point of that plan is to ensure that on the day of election, Akwa Ibom as well as other states controlled by the PDP will be selected as flash points and kept for a separate day”.
    The PDP spokespersons said one leg of the plot was to have the governorship election postponed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the day of the first ballot and a new date fixed for the poll.
    They added that the other leg of the plot was to create room for massive deployment of security agencies for the rescheduled election like it happened in the last governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
    “These are schematic attempts unfolding gradually. It first started with trying to say that the former a bullet was found in the bedroom of the former Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio even when there was no piercing on any part of his building.
    “Till today there’s no evidence of such attack. It was meant to create the impression for the security agencies to believe that they are being attacked by the state government and its agents”.

    Read Also: Jonathan pillar of democracy, says PDP

    The party spokespersons fingered the police as being part of the plot as they recalled how the state chairman of the PDP, the DG of the governor’s campaign, Speaker of the state assembly and other prominent PDP members were invited to Abuja by the Inspector General of Police over billboard issues.
    “What is the relationship between the state chairman of a party and the position of a billboard in a state? All those people were invited to Abuja on the orders of the inspector General of Police”, the stated.
    The party also linked the ongoing crisis in the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly to part of the distabilisation plot by the APC and its agents.
    Ologbondiyan lamented that the Presidency and the APC have continued to design what he described as heinous machinations and issuing threats of violent take over of some littoral states, for which they have now directed their arsenals particularly on Akwa-Ibom state.

    He alerted Nigerian to recent “volatile outbursts” by the Buhari Campaign Organization and APC leaders, with the use of violent images and outright threats of war on Akwa-Ibom state.

    The PSP spokesman said, “Nigerians are invited to recall the violent and ominous outburst by the former Governor of Akwa-Ibom state, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who vowed that the APC will take over the state the same way Hitler overran Poland, swearing that ‘war shall see Warsaw and Warsaw shall see war’ in Akwa-Ibom state.

    “Given that this statement is the policy of the APC and the Buhari Presidency against Akwa-Ibom and other parts of our nation, where they are not in control, the President, as chief security officer of our nation, never issued a reprimand nor has Senator Akpabio been pulled in for questioning by security agencies.

    “It is now clear that the statement is an approved prelude of a pre-meditated plot by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to initiate, facilitate and superintend a mayhem and bloodletting in the peaceful and developing Akwa-Ibom, irrespective of the huge human and material damage such could cause in the state.

    “Part of the plot is the forceful attempt to take over control of the Akwa-Ibom state legislature, for which the Presidency and the APC have been sponsoring the invasion of the House of Assembly complex and seeking ways to violently oust the duly elected leadership of the state assembly

    “Only recently, the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, who has been under fire over allegations of corruption, threatened and directly accused the erstwhile Akwa-Ibom Commissioner of Police, John Abang of refusing to carry out APC’s orders to provide security cover that will enable three legally sacked members of the 26-member legislature to effect a change of leadership.

    “The PDP has information of how the APC hierarchy thereafter, ordered the Inspector General of Police, who in compliance, summarily redeployed CP John Abang and replaced him with a new CP, Hyelasinda Musa Kimo. It is needless to say that Mr. Abang spent just one month as CP and had to be removed for not carrying out APC’s atrocious directive.

    “Since the arrival of CP Kimo, there has been mounting tension and escalated siege mentality in Akwa-Ibom state, particularly in the state legislature where thugs, backed by the police, have been invading the premises, disrupting legislative activities, harassing staff members and hindering them from performing their responsibilities.

    “This recourse to self-help, against declarative judgment by competent court of jurisdiction sacking the three lawmakers, is a deliberate attempt to instigate violence, foist a reign of terror, cause confusion, create an impression that the state has become ungovernable.

    “This is with a view to opening the way for a declaration of a state of emergency, which will enable them dismantle all democratic structures and forcefully take over control of the state.

    “The PDP wants the Buhari Presidency and the APC to bear in mind that their plot to forcefully take over Akwa-Ibom or any other PDP-controlled state will be firmly resisted by the people of those states and such may lead to a crisis of unprecedented magnitude that has the capacity of truncating our hard-earned democracy.

    “This is because the people of Akwa-Ibom state will never allow anybody, no matter how highly placed, to overrun their state or in any way attempt to foist an undemocratic leadership over them and no amount of intimidation or force will make them change this resolve”.

    The opposition party charged President Buhari and the APC to be ready to take full responsibility for any breakdown of law and order as direct consequences of the people’s resistance to their plot to forcefully take over control of Akwa-Ibom or any of the PDP-controlled states.

  • Akwa Ibom and leadership question

    Though Akwa Ibom State was created over two decades ago, it barely came to national and international consciousness under former Governor Godswill Akpabio.

    This was largely due to the fact that despite what many saw as disadvantages, there were several potential to be tapped, what was then required was the right leadership to lift it from a poor state to a level that its potential could be fully tapped for the benefit of its people.

    Recall that back then, many saw Akwa Ibomites as backward in view of its hundreds of exports to big cities, including Lagos and Abuja to work as house helps, especially cooks.

    This was largely due to poverty, escalated by a large army of young people who never went to school.

    But this changed with the coming of Akpabio who fought a major battle to realise his quest of becoming the governor of his state.

    Having been a major player in the government of his predecessor Obong Victor Attah, Akpabio left no one in doubt that he could change the fortunes of the state and its people for the better.

    Less than two years down the line, the state once referred to as a haven of illiterates and cooks had shed that toga through conscious efforts.

    Not only did he build enduring structures urgently needed to change the narrative, he also got the right persons to deliver the goods no matter where they were.

    Across the three senatorial districts of the state, not only did he build solid classroom structures, he equally motivated teachers to give their best by re-training and motivating them.

    He equally partnered the House of Assembly to ensure that the monster called illiteracy was banished by enacting a law making education free and compulsory.

    Consequently, it was mandatory for every child of school age in the state to be in school, even as there was stiff penalty for child-trading during school hours. This had a multiplier effect as public schools received a major boost and many indigenes outside the state returned to take advantage of the initiative.

    Across critical sectors, Akpabio’s signature projects were evident – health, housing, transportation, sports, roads, tourism and more.

    It was therefore, little wonder that the civil service state of those days suddenly became a Mecca of sorts for people across the world.

    Based on documented evidence, the Akpabio administration started and completed over 400 projects across the length and breadth of the state in a record eight years. These are enduring projects never seen in many parts of this country, especially, in the South-south region.

    For instance, not a single of the hundreds of kilometres of roads awarded to reputable contractors, including Julius Berger, has a single pot-hole after over ten years of construction!

    This is a credit to an administration, which gave tremendous attention to details in the award of contracts.  The question many ask today is: Did Akpabio leave government business with his magic?  This is no doubt a pertinent question in view of the rot that Akwa Ibom has suddenly descended into in the last three years.

    Today, one does not need to be told that the “golden era” has suddenly disappeared into thin air under Governor Udom Emmanuel.  This is evident in the fact that the state has been like a rudderless ship under Governor Emmanuel.  This was a man who received so much support from Akpabio, and created enemies for him within the PDP then.

    No one could have ever imagined what we are today confronted with in view of Emmanuel’s impeccable credentials.

    Like Akpabio, he had also been schooled at the highest level in handling of government business, having been a top official of the immediate past administration.

    Many also saw his age as an advantage as he is expected to have the energy to face the challenges of office.  But what has been his scorecard three and half years after?  Unfortunately, not only has he halted the achievements left by Akpabio, he has virtually put the state in reverse gear.

    For instance, the governor recently told the media that the reason for the failure of his government was largely due to recession.

    In another breath, he blamed it on the value of the naira, saying what his predecessor achieved with the naira then, can’t be achieved with the value of the currency today. The good thing, however, is that the people are discerning and would therefore not fall for half truth.

    At a time when the governor is busy churning out excuses, the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, has done more projects, and both were sworn in at the same time.

    Curiously, Akwa Ibom collects far more than Abia from the federal coffers, yet he has not been able to live up to expectations.

    Even in neighbouring Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike has done so much within the last three and half years in terms of projects.

    So confident is Wike that he invited many former Heads of State and governors to launch projects in his state. The story is similar in Cross River State which has widened its industrialisation gap and even invited President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate projects.

    The question to ask therefore is: How were these governors able to do what they have been able to do while Governor Emmanuel has lived in an atmosphere of excuses for his failure?

    Instead of finding ways and means of moving Akwa Ibom forward, blackmail of the Akpabio administration has suddenly become the stock-in-trade of this administration.

    Was this what earned Akpabio the respect he commands both in and outside Akwa Ibom State today?  As the Minority Leader of the Senate, his colleagues respected him each time he stood up to speak for the opposition in the hallowed chamber, and still do, despite moving to the APC.

    In less than four years into his stewardship, he has attracted projects worth over N20billion to his zone as their elected representative.  The good thing is that with the coming of 2019 elections, the chicken will soon come home to roost in the state.

    By Emma Umohinyang

    Lagos.

     

    Governor Badaru and Jigawa roads

    Nigeria is a country where citizens are losing their lives on daily basis due to poor road networks, but in Jigawa State the case is different. It is generally because of lack of maintenance, because the previous administration constructed roads across the state.

    I am appealing to Governor Badaru Abubakar to reconstruct the Auyo -Kafin-Hausa and Gujungu-Yalo roads. These roads link many local government areas in the state and they have been in bad shape for many months after the flood disaster that rampaged the areas during raining season

    The deplorable situation of the roads in the state most especially Kafin-Hausa to Auyo road is horrible and disheartening. If you doubt me, try visiting or take a trip to Kafin-Hausa and see yourself.

    In fact, the road has become a death trap on which many people sustain injuries and vehicles get damaged almost on a daily basis. The road also leads to the town where the state university (Sule Lamido University, Kafin-Hausa) is located. Furthermore, the roads serve as a means of transporting farm produce and livestock from rural to urban areas.

    The reconstruction of the roads will create more job opportunities for the people. Since Jigawa has very fertile land that is conducive for agriculture and animal husbandry, fishing and replete with abundant resources and over 80% are farmers. The governor should lobby President Buhari for the reconstruction of the Gaya-Jahun-Kafin-Hausa-Bauchi federal road too.

    This road links many states of the Northwest and Northeast geopolitical zones and it has been in bad shape for many years. Please come to our aid.

     

    • By Adamu Muhd Usman

    Kafin-Hausa, Jigawa State

  • Police receive 35 public complaints, arrest 66 in Kano

    The Kano State Police command said it received no fewer than 35 public complaints, while 66 defaulters were arrested and investigated from October 2017 till date.

    The Command’s Public Relations officer, SP Magaji Majiya, disclosed this in a statement in Kano on Monday.

    He said that the complaints ranged from corrupt practice, incivility, unprofessional conduct, assault, illegal road block and illegal detention to delving into civil matters.

    ” Twenty-three police officers, 28 ‘Karota’ personnel, 12 Special Constabulary, two VIOs and one FRSC were involved, ” Majiya said.

    According to him “the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, is determined to rid the force of corrupt practice and other unprofessional conducts by its officers and men”.

    Majiya said two units of X-Squad offices were established in Kano, each headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police under the supervision of Mr Rabiu Yusuf, Kano State Commissioner of Police.

    “From its inception in October 2017 , the Kano East X-Squad office was headed by ACP Naziru Kankarofi .

    ” The Squad is charged with receiving public complaints and positive criticism against members of the force. ”

    He assured members of the public that the command would continue to respect human rights and do away with all forms of corrupt practices in discharging its duty.