APC members kick against Akpabio’s defection to party

Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Akwa Ibom state, under the aegis of Akwa Ibom Progressives Watch, have petitioned the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, protesting the defection of Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, to the party.

In a letter dated August 3, 2018, and addressed to the APC national chairman, the group said it had noted with deep concern the broad chorus of disapproval and complete despondency amongst different strata of members of the APC in Akwa Ibom state over the defection of Akpabio to the party.

The letter endorsed by Innocent Sylvanus, Chairman and Ubong Victor, Secretary, read in part: “Our group is an integrity watch team whose support for the APC is driven by the party’s change agenda, the fight against corruption as well as the near immaculate personality of the leader of the Party, President Muhammadu Buhari.

“We metamorphosed from Ibom Transparency Watch under the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), working assiduously in the last seven years to entrench in the party sterling values, such as integrity, justice, accountability and transparency, which are lacking in our political system.

“Hence, we have been on the watch so that such persons with tendencies which violate these values are not found tip-toeing around our party.

“For this reason, we feel sad, so are most members of the APC in Akwa Ibom State who looked up to our party as institution that will evict moral pervers as Senator Godswill Akpabio from position of authority, by the admission of Senator Godswill Akpabio into our party.

“Senator Akpabio who is now seeking asylum in the APC called our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, very unprintable names during the 2015 electioneering.

“He ordered the immediate closure of the Ibom Airport on the day Buhari, who was then the presidential flag – bearer of our party visited Akwa Ibom State.

“After our President won the 2015 election despite all their antics, Akpabio encouraged former President Goodluck Jonathan to challenge Buhari’s election victory in court.”

The group also informed Oshiomhole that Akpabio polarised ethnicity to its zenith in his bid to annihilate the Ibibio majority, and destroy the Oro ethnic nationality, when he was governor of Akwa Ibom State.