• As House Pledges Allegiance to Gov Emmanuel
The Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor Mr. Moses Ekpo (MFR) and the leader of the State House of Assembly Hon. Udo Kierian Akpan have both distanced selves from the purported defection from the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with the Senate Minority Leader, Chief Godswill Akpabio.
This was as the members of the State House of Assembly yesterday led by the Speaker, Right Hon. Onofiok, Luke paid a solidarity visit to the Governor, Udom Emmanuel, to reassure him of their support and earlier commitment to stand by him in his second term re-election bid.
Both Ekpo and Kieran were among top politicians from the state widely rumoured to top the list of persons that will be defecting from the PDP alongside the Senate Minority Leader in a ceremony planned for Wednesday at the Ikot Ekpene Township Stadium have promptly reacted by saying there was no iota of truth in the report as they have no reason whatsoever to jump ship.
In a Press Release widely circulated yesterday (Monday) by the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Ekikere Umoh, the deputy stated categorically that there was no iota of truth in the story making the rounds; describing it as “nothing but a poorly concocted piece of a malicious hatchet job and a piece of lies that should be appropriately ignored”.
The release stated further that the Deputy was away in New York, United States where he was representing the State Governor, Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel as the Special Guest of Honour at the 2018 International Convention of the Ati Annang that held in New York last Saturday, August 4, 2018.
Mr. Ekpo stated categorically, “I have not resigned. I have no reason whatsoever to resign or jump ship from a government that is both responsive and performing optimally, while giving practical meaning to democratic dividends for the people of Akwa Ibom State.”
The deputy therefore called on all committed Akwa Ibomites and committed party members at home and in diaspora to remain resolute and committed to the Government of Udom Emmanuel to take the state to the next level.
Similarly Kieran, the House Leader, who incidentally is also the President of the Socio- cultural organisation Ati Annang, also reacted from New York; this time via a Whatsapp chat he titled “I stand with Udom for second term”. Kieran in the post stated, “Tell Akwa Ibom People that I’m not leaving PDP for any reason. I stand with Udom for a second term.”
The House leader representing Oruk Anam State Constituency said he would, on arrival in Nigeria, announced his position from the radio stations for the whole world to know the truth.
While breaking the news of Akpabio’s defection, last Saturday, sources quoting The Propeller Newspaper had specifically, listed some names of politicians from the State that are billed to defect alongside the Senate Minority Leader this Wednesday in a ceremony billed for the Ikot Ekpene Townnship Stadium.
Some of the names peddled in the report included; former commissioner for Works Mr. Don Eti, former Senator Effiong Bob, Leader, Akwa Ibom State House Udo Kieran and former Speaker of the State Assembly and House member representing Etinan Federal Constituency, Mr. Sam Ikon, among a host of others.
There are indications that others, listed in that report, may yet renounce the report before the D-Day.
For now, all is set for the much-touted defection by the Senate Minority Leader on Wednesday August 8, as announced by Buhari’s adviser on National Assembly (Senate) matters and former senator Ita Enang.
As the initial anxieties that enveloped the state when the defection news first broke are gradually giving way, anger and disbelief seem to have taken over as many people still say they cannot imagine the uncommon transformer (Akpabio) flying the broom; or worse still, amidst the same people he had severally rubbished in the past.