2015: Akwa Ibom No-Go Area For APC – Akpabio

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State on Tuesday threw his weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term ambition and called on the President to declare his 2015 intention now without further delay.

Akpabio, who is the chairman of Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum, PDPGF, made the call in Abuja when he visited the new national chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu in his office at the Wadata Plaza national headquarters of the party.

While promising to deliver to the President all the delegate votes from his state, just like he did during the party’s 2011 presidential primaries, Akpabio also warned that Akwa Ibom is a no-go area for other political parties in 2015.

“We have no doubt and that is why we came to let you know that in Akwa Ibom PDP, there is no shaking. We would deliver the presidency.

“Akwa Ibom is intact for the PDP and it is a no go area for other political parties”, Akpabio said.

He added: “We did it in 2011 and I assure Mr. President that Akwa Ibom will do it again. We were the first set in 2010 to announce our support for him to go for his first tenure in 2011.

“We did that and other states followed. We are again the first state in 2014 to urge Mr. President to go back for a second term in office.

“We are a monolithic group in Akwa Ibom, although you may have one or two people who want to test the political waters here and there”, he added.

Information Nigeria reports that although Mr. Jonathan has deployed delay tactics over his reelection bid, his body language over time and the various support groups springing up calling on him to throw his hat in the ring, has continued to reinforce the general belief and suspicion among party chieftains that he might be scheming to clinch the 2015 presidential ticket of his party.

Governor Akpabio warns Mu'azu to beware of Obong Attah.

   

National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Adamu Mu’Azu
Governors elected on the Peoples Democratic Party have cautioned the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, against  romancing their political enemies.

The governors, at a   closed-door meeting with   Mu’azu at the Wadata Plaza  national headquarters of the party in Abuja on Wednesday, were said to have reminded him of  the agreements that brought him to office.


The agreements  that paved the way  for the former Bauchi State governor to the Wadata Plaza  include non -interference in  the party structure in the state  and that he (Mu’azu) should   not romance some of   former governors who were serving when he  was  in charge  in Bauchi State.

The governors   that  met with Mu’azu  were  those of  Delta, Akwa Ibom,  Niger,  Cross River, Kogi, Abia, Katsina, Kebbi, Bayelsa,   Gombe, Plateau and Kaduna states. Taraba  State was represented by its acting governor while Sokoto  and Jigawa states were represented by  their deputy governors.

  Those of Bauchi, Enugu, Enonyi and  Benue states were however absent.

Barely 24 hours ago, one of them, the Akwa Ibom State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio,  warned Mu’azu to beware of Obong Attah and other former governors who are not in good terms with their predecessors.

“Those who have access to the (Presidential) Villa  and Wadata Plaza are not those that will get the votes that will put the PDP in power in 2015,”Akpabio had told the PDP national chairman.

One of the governors,  who was at the meeting  confirmed to   our correspondent on condition of anonymity,  that they    reminded  Mu’azu  of  “our deal that brought him to power.”

He  said, “We know that as a former governor he is still relating  with those who were his colleagues between 1999 and 2007. Some of them are our political enemies.

“But in doing that, we asked him not to do that to our detriment because we know those former governors would also want to get across to him.

“We know he would still be in discussion with some of these men. That’s why we asked him to be careful and tread softly.”

He said that Mu’azu promised not to betray them in whatever form and that he urged them (the governors), not to listen to rumours.

It  is a known fact  that some of the serving governors are not in good terms with their predecessors.

The governors include  Akpabio  and his   predecessor,   Obong Victor Attah;  Babangida Aliyu(Niger) and   Abdulkadir Kure;  Theodore Orji(Abia) and Orji Kalu;  Ibrahim Dankwambo(Gombe) and   Danjuma Goje; Sullivan Chime(Enugu) and  Chimaroke Nnamani.

Mu’azu later spoke at the National Working Committee room of the party  in  Wadata Plaza.  He  again appealed to the  PDP  governors  to  beg their colleagues  who  defected to the All Progressives Congress  to return.

Mu’azu said that he would be happy to see the five governors, who had vowed to remain in their new party,  back in the PDP.

The five governors are  Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers);  Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Rabiu Kwakwanso(Kano), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa).

Mu’azu said he was happy with the visit of the governors, which came a day after  Akpabio  led a delegation of the PDP stateholders in  Akwa Ibom  State to the Wadata Plaza.

He said, “As you know, our governors are our garrison commanders  in our various states. We are very happy with them and we are very proud of them.

“But we want to appeal  to  them to particularly be patient at this moment of our history. You will see and hear what you do not like. Rumour mongers  are around  working but God will always guide us.

“Secondly, I want to appeal to you all to continue to appeal to your colleagues that had decided to leave home  for  an unknown destination to please come back home. Our  doors are still wide open and our house is big enough for all of them to come in.

“In a family like ours, there is bound to be conflict but the ability to resolve it, is what will stand us out. I, therefore, want to appeal to you, to please speak to your colleagues to come back home.”

Earlier, Akpabio  had  expressed the  hope that the  five defected governors would return to the PDP.

He said, “We are here as PDP governors’  forum to pay a congratulatory visit. We are about 18 and we hope to have more by bringing back some of our members who crossed over to the other side.

“The opposition is even happy with your emergence as  the national chairman of our great party. We hope that the party will be stronger. We, as field commanders, assure you of our support. We shall win the election in 2015 by the grace of God.”

Uyo Flooding:Governor Akpabio Sets Up investigation Committee

Akwa Ibom state Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio on Sunday established a committee to investigate recent flooding in Uyo metropolis.

The committee is headed by Mr Etido Inyang, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Technical Matters.

Akpabio lamented that government had invested so much in constructing
the underground drainage system.

The governor said, “I therefore, see no reason why the flood should assume such a momentum if not sabotage”.“I want to investigate and know the root cause of the flood because we

have invested heavily in constructing
underground drainage
system”.

Why Akpabio, Federal Legislators Shunned Community’s Silver Jubilee celebration

High expectations by the Akwa Ibom Community Abuja were dashed last weekend as Governor Godswill Akpabio and lawmakers from both the State and National Assembly, abstained from the Community’s the 25th anniversary and ground breaking of the Ibom Bowl Complex at the Jahi District, in the Federal Capital Territory.

Although the only lawmaker from the state, who rushed in at the dying minutes to attend the event, Senator Etta Enang had tried to calm down the visibly disappointed crowd, explaining that the governor’s absence was due to the late arrival of the invitation, rumours were rife that political considerations was the reason for the governor’s absence.

Senator Enang told the gathering that the governor was on a condolence visit to the Nwodos in Enugu State at the time of the event and had promised to perform the ground breaking of the complex on the 5000 square meters land at a future date.

But a top official of the association said it was a cover up, saying that the President of the association, Engr. Benedict Ukpong, had met the governor one on one to convey the invitation to him who in turn pledged to personally perform the ground breaking of the Ibom Bowl Complex.

A Competent source who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that it was clear that the governor did not want to grace the occasion having avoided three such events organised by the group on the excuse that the Akwa-Ibom Abuja Community was romancing with opposition in the state.

The source further disclosed that the governor had accused the Community of having dealings with the sacked Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Umanah Okon Umanah, who was said to have  tipped the President of the Community in Abuja to run as the Deputy Governor with him on the platform of a popular opposition party in the state in 2015.

Another source, who did not want his name in print, said the governor had shunned the event because of his claim that the community whose members travelled en-masse to vote at last gubernatorial election in the state did not support him when he was gunning for his second term in office.

He stated that the Community was more disappointed because of the huge sums of money they used to organise the event which attracted citizens of the state resident in all parts of the territory only for the governor to dash their hope.
      
All the officials of the community association however, declined to talk to the press as the whole arrangement for the big event turned out to be a failure as the August visitors refused to grace the occasion. Even the event at Sheraton Hotel and Towers did not attract the necessary trappings as the expected guests did not turn up as the State governor did not send any representation from the State.

source. daily times ng