Those against me helping my electoral victory – Senator Akpabio

By Musa Baba Adamu

The All Progressives Congress, APC, senatorial candidate for Akwa Ibom North West, Godswill Akpabio, said he is not perturbed by political leaders attacking him in the state.
Akpabio who stated this on Thursday in Abak during a consultative visit to Afe Annang, the highest socio-cultural organisation in Annang land said his antecedence would earn him victory at the polls and no level of blackmail would change his people’s minds.
One of the leaders in Ikot Ekpene senatorial district and a member of the APC Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Don Etiebet had at different fora asked Senator Akpabio to jettison his senatorial ambition otherwise he would ensure that he ‘fails the election.’
Etiebet, though an APC chieftain, had openly declared his support to Akpabio’s opponent in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Emmanuel Enoidem on the ground that it is the turn of Abak 5 to produce a senator.
But Akpabio in the meeting said he does not need the endorsement of a lone leader but that of the people of the district whose votes would make him victorious and urged the royal father to caution their sons against opposing his candidacy and speaking ill of him.
He challenged Etiebet to indicate how he improved the fortunes of the people as former Minister of Petroleum and contributed to the development of Akwa Ibom State.
“I want to say that all the blackmails [and] calumny sponsored against me and my candidacy is for my good. They will form a stepping stone to my victory,” Akpabio stated.
He further said: “You [Etiebet] were the Minister of Petroleum, tell me one local government you empowered or established NNPC, you did nothing and you call yourself a leader.”
The former Akwa Ibom State governor also berated his former commissioner and a contender in the race, Emmanuel Enoidem for speaking against him, insisting that he created the platform for Enoidem to become politically relevant today.
According to him: “Ingratitude is a sin before God and for someone to open his mouth to say that “I didn’t work for you but for Akwa Ibom government” is ridiculous.”
Akpabio, while enumerating the myriads of development projects he executed as a governor and what he can attract to his people, urged the people to vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president in Saturday’s election saying that Tinubu would make the best successor to President Muhammadu Buhari.