From Joe Effiong, Uyo
Former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, has lashed out at his kinsman and former minister of Petroleum Resources, Chief Don Etiebet, over his alleged endorsement of Mr. Emmanuel Enoidem of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Akwa Ibom North West (Ikot Ekpene) Senatorial District.
Etiebet, Board of Trustees member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is reported to have held a bipartisan meeting in his residence in Uyo, at which a communique was drawn to oppose Akpabio’s attempt to return to the senate on the grounds that the slot has been zoned to Abak federal constituency which has not produced a senator since I963.
Enoidem, the PDP candidate is from Abak Federal Constituency, while Akpabio was recently returned as the authentic APC candidate.
Reacting to the communique, Akpabio, in a statement by Mr. Joe Iniodu, a spokesperson for his media/publicity directorate, said Etiebet does not have the capacity to convene a meeting capable of muffling Akpabio’s political ascendancy
In a statement entitled: “Etiebet’s purported bipartisan decision, another act of dissembling” Akpabio’s campaign council described the communique from the bipartisan meeting as a a phoney report and outcome of a ruse.
“The said report which is vacuous and lacking in factual data lied egregiously, turning the report into a misleading document that is worthless in value and untenable to posterity. The report which lacks originality follows the trend of a familiar rehash of entitlement mentality adumbrated with a shadow curious caveat of turn, not capacity and capability which are the progressive prerequisites/values that Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District and indeed Akwa Ibom State need at this material circumstance of its efforts towards national integration.
“Senator Godswill Akpabio Senatorial Campaign Council is at a loss to note that the name of our very exposed, experienced, and educated elder statesman could be touted in the charade that was misguidedly called a bipartisan meeting without a rebuttal or clarification from Atuekong Don Etiebet himself, forcing the campaign council to construe that the anti party act and illegality may have been cobbled with him as leader to satiate the crude sentiments of Akpabio haters.
“We are mortally shocked to know that Atuekong Don Etiebet is still a part of that pack of haters but at what cost and detriment? The statistical deficiency in the communique gives the report away as a hollow document as no other name outside Don Etiebet is clearly mentioned in this purported bipartisan coalition that has resolved to vote the candidate of PDP.”
The question is, don’t the other ones have names outside the bogus aliases of former and serving this or that with non credited with a name? What kind of subterfuge is that in the 21st century?. The campaign council stressed that Atuekong Don Etiebet does not command the follower-ship to convoke a meeting of Abak 5 that can reach a resolution against Senator Godswill Akpabio in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District.”