No Apologies for backing Jonathan says Akpabio...Obi is desperate

The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, has described the comments credited to the Director General of Atiku Campaign Organisation, Senator Ben Obi, as an unwarranted outburst.

The governor said Obi's comments were reflective of his obsession with power, a development which he said had seen him 'forging strange alliances.'

Obi had on Monday described Akpabio as 'a busybody,' over the request the governor made for the clarification of the status of one of the Peoples Democratic Party's presidential aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in Abuja on Sunday.

In a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of Godswill 2011 Campaign Organisation on Tuesday, Mr. Anietie Ekong, Akpabio said he had no apologies to offer for his support for President Goodluck Jonathan's bid for the 2011 presidency, saying that as a governor of a PDP state, he had the right to air his views on matters affecting the party.

The statement reads in part, “Whatever concocted consensus that threw up their principal as a presidential aspirant is of no interest to us. Those in the Atiku campaign should remember that Akwa Ibom State is one state they would need delegates from. However, we wish to reaffirm that Governor Akpabio has no apologies for his unwavering support for President Goodluck Jonathan.

Attempts to obtain Obi's reaction failed as he did not pick calls to his mobile phone.

However, the Director of Niger Delta in the Atiku Campaign Organisation, Mr. Timmy Frank, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, said Akpabio's attack on the former vice-president was laughable.

 
“If Akpabio has any understanding of democracy, he will know that a politician who presents himself for election cannot be intelligently accused of desperation for power. Only those who never fought for democracy but suddenly found themselves in positions of authority make such careless and unguarded statements,” he said.

assuming he was quoted correctly. We are surprised that the Director-General of the campaign organisation of a presidential aspirant of the PDP saw nothing wrong with images of broom-wielding members of the old Action Congress with some of the leaders of the current Action Congress of Nigeria who milled around Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on national television during his purported announcement as the Northern consensus aspirant.

“One wonders why such a misleading display should not be worrisome to a true member of the PDP.

Punch

 


Readers' Comments