Akpabio woos youth leaders with N155m

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, on Saturday met with some youth leaders from the 31 local government areas of the state and allegedly gave them the sum of N155m.

The meeting which held at the Hilltop Mansion Government House was aimed at securing the youth's loyalty for the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, in the forthcoming general elections.

One of the youth leaders who refused to be named, told our correspondent at the Government House that N155m earmarked for the occasion, was for the empowerment of the youths.

He stated that each of the youths from the 31 local government areas went home with N5m each.

One of the beneficiaries, who also sought anonymity, told our correspondent that the purpose of the meeting was how to convince the local government youth leaders to support the PDP in the forthcoming polls.

'The meeting was about us supporting the government in this election. There is nothing more. I don't see anything wrong if the governor decides to empower us. He has really tried. The event was not secret; it was transmitted live from Akwa Ibom State Broadcasting Corporation,' he said.

Our correspondent gathered that some of the youths who were not invited but found their way into the Banquet Hall where the money was shared got N50,000 each.

One of the youths, Mr. Uko Effing, said apart from the leaders, who were invited, provisions were also made for other youths that gate crashed into the venue of the event.

A source from the Government House claimed that the meeting was planned by the wife of the governor, Mrs. Unoma Akpabio.

Efforts to get the reaction from the Commissioner of Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, on the development proved abortive as he did not pick his calls. He also did not respond to text messages sent to his phone. Punch