Akwa Ibom State government has described as misleading and non-existent the claims that Senator Bassey Akpan, a governorship aspirant and the incumbent Governor, Udom Emmanuel reached an accord that he (Gov Emmanuel) would cede power to Sen. Akpan in 2023.
Senator Akpan, as well as the immediate past Chief of Staff to Governor Emmanuel, had in different fora, said Governor Emmanuel has reneged on the political accord they had in 2015 that he would return power to Senator Akpan in 2023 after the latter stepped down for him in 2015.
Gov Emmanuel had already announced his former commissioner for lands and Water Resources, Pst Umo Eno as his preferred successor.
But reacting in a radio interview programme in Uyo on Monday, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Research and Documentation, Mr Essien Nduese said the election of Governor Udom Emmanuel in 2015 came after the people of Akwa Ibom State had unanimously agreed that whether by zoning or rotation, the political authority of the State from 2015-2023 should reside in Eket Senatorial District.
He wondered how Senator Albert could have stepped down for Governor Emmanuel in a race he was never qualified to contest in the first place.
He said Senator Albert was at the time the Commissioner for Finance and was part of the State delegation, led by the then Governor Godswill Akpabio that toured all the federal constituencies in Akwa Ibom State through town hall meetings, where he witnessed the general opinion and consensus that power should be zoned to Eket Senatorial District that year which he did not belong to.
Nduese described as unfortunate, that despite being a ranking member of the State Executive Council who was in the entourage of the then Governor throughout the town hall meetings, he (Sen. Akpan) went on to defy the unanimous decision by purchasing the governorship form.
Speaking on the poor reward system by the present administration as alleged by the former Chief of Staff, Ephraim Inyangeyen, Nduese said, “Senator Bassey Albert negotiated and got a senate ticket ahead of his kinsman, Senator Ita Enang in 2015 and returned to the Senate in 2019, still another case of reward.”
He was appointed a Finance Commissioner for 7 and a half years and Senator for another eight years. How can he complain of not being adequately rewarded?” Nduese queried.
