A’Ibom Not Distracted by Akpabio’s Defection to APC, Says Gov Emmanuel

Okon Bassey in Uyo

Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has stated that his state is not distracted by the planned defection of the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Emmanuel spoke yesterday when the members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly paid him a solidarity visit on the planned defection of Akpabio.

“We are highly focused, our party chairman is here, all of us here were elected on the platform of PDP. We are known to be very loyal people; the Niger Delta people are very loyal, and highly principled people. We don’t just move like that,” the Governor added.

According to him, it is not possible to see a Niger Delta man who is on a canoe in the high sea jump inside the Atlantic Ocean on the basis of a storm.

“So, we just want the world to know that we are at peace with ourselves; all is well with us as far as this union, this body is concerned and we leave the rest into God’s hands and then we will see what God wants to do,” he added.

“This is God’s own state, we reinstate our faith and reaffirm our faith in God and God alone,’ adding, “let the whole world know that we are PDP and PDP shall we be”, he reaffirmed.

In his speech, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Onofiok Luke, who led his colleagues to Government House, reaffirmed the support of the state lawmakers to the governor.

Luke said the total support given to the governor was based on the superlative performance that has characterised his leadership in the state, explaining that the state lawmakers who were not in the entourage were out of the country on official engagement.

“We came with the understanding that we were elected by Akwa Ibom people on the platform of the PDP and that the leader of that party, the Governor in the state has performed well and we on that platform of PDP have come to show solidarity because of the performance that he has been able to put on ground.”

“We were not elected as Governors or members of the House of Assembly to be able to think about our personal interest. We were elected to carter for the well-being of Akwa Ibom people,” he said.