The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State, Obong Paul Ekpo, has attributed the bitterness nursed by leaders of the All Progressives Congress in the state against Senator Godswill Akpabio to their defeat in the governorship poll.
Ekpo equally described the rumour of his (Ekpo’s) alleged resignation as the antics of the opposition party in the state.
Obong Ekpo made the remarks while reacting to the recent press statement by the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the APC, purporting to rationalise why President Muhammadu Buhari must take Akpabio’s so-called blackmail challenge very seriously.
Ekpo explained that it is ridiculous that the leaders of APC in the state are still unable to come to terms with their defeat at the April 11, 2015 governorship poll by consistently resorting to cheap blackmail against the former governor, whose offence is that he mobilized his party to victory.
Ekpo wondered why a press conference addressed by the PDP caucus in the National Assembly, which bordered on some issues of national interest, and which Senator Akpabio happened to chair as the Minority Leader in the Senate, has been reduced to a personality attack on the distinguished senator as against his party that made its position clear on the matters arising therefrom.
He said: “It is also laughable that my purported resignation is emanating from the APC camp. I have not resigned my chairmanship of our great party as being peddled by the APC. May be my resignation letter is with them and I would want them to produce the purported letter of resignation.”
He therefore described the alarm raised by the APC as uncalled for, unnecessarily belligerent and twisted hog-wash meant to instigate strife between President Buhari and Senator Akpabio, which will not work.
Ekpo argued that the APC leaders can continue with their innuendoes and conjectures on the 2015 governorship election, which they lost, if they so desire, but that all their propaganda will not influence the verdict of the tribunal or win them elections in Akwa Ibom State that remains a stronghold of the PDP.