17/10/2023
*Akpabio Is Preparing Ground For APC To Take Over Akwa Ibom, Umo Eno Is An Actor And Will Soon Be Unmasked - Dr. Chris Akpan*
_"Akpabio is a man of peace and he has every right to wish the government well; to run a peaceful tenure but that is not the official policy of the APC, APC remains a party and as far as we are concerned we are still in contention with the PDP and cannot abandon our goals and go to become part of PDP"._
Dr. Chris Akpan, is a proud Annang man, a former Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State and the National Deputy Welfare Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in this exclusive interview with The Sensor Newspapers' Correspondent, Uko Callistus, on Saturday, 14th October, 2023, he bear his mind on topical socio-political issues in Akwa Ibom State including the recently amended TRC Law.
*Excerpts:*
Uko: Goodmorning Dr. and thank you for always being available for a discussion on some topical socio-political matters as there are arising in the country and Akwa Ibom State. Please accept our warmest regards from THE SENSOR NEWSPAPERS. Doctor in our previous conversations prior to the 2023 general elections you made some predictions and some of them have seen the light of the day while we are still expecting others to materialized but generally what is your impression about the outcome of the elections?
Dr. Chris Akpan: Well, let me be honest, what we saw at the elections were truly what we expected in the sense that, when a government is as delinquent, as evil and as non-performing like the last state government we had, the man in power then certainly knew the grave implication of falling out of power, even if that was the wishes of the majority of the people of the state, so he went extra miles to subvert the process, spent all the money in the state to rol back the tide of time but that was just a temporary relief. The people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District (ISD) were not swayed by the campaign of calumny against Senator Akpabio. A lot of people have said that Akpabio's regime as the governor of Akwa Ibom State brought the best to the state in terms of physical and human development, so people did not mind the antics of government to subvert the process and went all out not only to vote for Akpabio but they waited around to ensure that came to pass. So it is a great tribute to the people of ISD that they did not allow the fake contraption of that regime to appear as reality.
Uko: Sir, we all know that Senator Akpabio returned to the senate on the platform of APC and he is the leader of the party in Akwa Ibom State but on several occasions he has declared to support Governor Umo Eno who emerged from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) does that not betray his sense of responsibility for the APC even though he cited peace and harmony as his reasons and said that his intention is to bridge the gap of party sentiments for development?
Dr. Chris Akpan: Akpabio is a man of peace and has every right to wish the government well; to run a peaceful tenure but that is not the official policy of the APC, APC remains a party and as far as we are concerned we are still in contention with the PDP and cannot abandon our goals and go to become part of PDP.
Uko: But Akpabio is the leader of the APC in the state why must he opening declare support for Umo Eno?
Dr Chris Akpan: He has not declared for Umo Eno, that he said he will leave him to run his government in peace does not mean open declaration, Akpabio is still a strong member of APC and in fact he is the only person sustaining the party in the state right now, so I don't see any conflict of interests to make the statement that he will allow the state government to face the issue of development pending when APC will take over from them. Akpabio is doing his best to support the APC and I am sure he his preparing ground for APC to take over the state.
Uko: Doctor, it was rumoured that Pastor Umo Eno may decamp to the APC, will your party welcome or receive and welcome him in good fate?
Dr. Chris Akpan: Why not? A political party is like a salvation tent where everybody is admitted but his position within the fold will be determined by so many other factors including those who have been in the party before him, you don't get into the tent and begin to think of leadership when we have the Senate President in person of Godswill Akpabio around. So no problem, we will welcome him but he will have to join the queue.
Uko: Senator Akpabio and others have referred to Governor Umo Eno as a man of peace so will you say the same about him, particularly considering his recent action by assenting the amended TRC Law which has polarized the state along tribal lines?
Dr. Chris Akpan: Senator Akpabio's personal opinion cannot become the policy direction of the party, people told him that Umo Eno is a man of peace, all those antics were pulled up to deceive Senator Akpabio, to lure him to abandon his responsibility to the people of this state. That Umo Eno went ahead and implemented the policy of supremacy of one ethnic group above others clearly gives his hands away as a man who is not interested in the peace of this state, the state has run peacefully for the number of years and those positions were rotated for the benefit of our people, so what is the man of peace who comes to the state to traucate the peace that the state has been enjoying? I never see Umo Eno as a man of peace unless the blame does not necessary rely on Umo Eno alone. His evil predecessor tried everything to destroy the peace and harmony of the state, he even went to appropriate peoples land.
Uko: In the state remapping policy?
Dr. Chris Akpan: Yes in the remapping thing. A map that has existed for years and served the people of the state, so because of your selfishness and greed you now go to remapped it and appropriate peoples land to ensure that you benefits maximally from the resources that we have and that was the beginning point of the crisis that we are seeing in the state in terms of the chieftaincy thing. So what was wrong in the state as it was? Why did we have to go against the colonial understanding and stability that we had based on the chieftaincy institution in the state? Now, the supremacist introduction will fail woefully because the people of the state had a model that served them well and this new model can never be acceptable to the people of the state. So Umo Eno cannot by any stretch of imagination be said to be a man of peace, he is an actor and will soon be unmasked.
Uko: Doctor I understand that Annang sub-nationality has about 7 members in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, have you people called them to asked why they supported the amended TRC Law which practically relegated them and their tribesmen to the level of second class citizens?
Dr. Chris Akpan: Like you rightly said we have those people in the House but who are these people? These are people with no pedigree, people with no political and historical knowledge of what constitutes the relationship of groups in the state, so for a few naira many of them can sell their birthrights. We don't reckon with them and they have rightly been cursed by the generality of Annang people. Let the notice be served that what these people are doing now cannot stand and will be challenged forcefully. When they come back for reelection I think Annang people will then tell them to kind of render reports of what they have done in their earlier outing. People like these have been cursed, they will remain political pariahs until they explain to us why they did not hint the people about this development that took place in the House of Assembly.
Uko: Doctor, why wait until they come for reelection? Why not immediately leverage on the Law that allows the people to call back their representatives through a referendum?
Dr. Chris Akpan: That is possible but difficult. It is difficult in the sense that by the time you set the mechinary in motion, to bring back these renegades, these quislings the government will come with the normal resources to try to buy them back in, so we will try other options.
Uko: I heard that Paramount Rulers from Annang, Oro and Obolo Sub-Nationalities have taken the Governor, State Government, the Speaker and the State Attorney General to the court to seek redress, whereas Governor Umo Eno earlier said that they were all present at the meeting where the decision of amendment of the state traditional institution was taken before he reverted to the House of Assembly to put it into law, so I am wondering why are they taking the action now?
Dr. Chris Akpan: The people were swinddled and led through, they did not know the full ramification and implications of what was unfolding, they were made to think that what was happening was infact the opposite and serving their interests. So, in my thinking, if you could swinddle people and fooled them and they come to realized that they were fooled it is not wrong but right for them to look for redress. So going to court is a necessary and important thing to do, not only the Paramount Rulers everybody that this policy has tried to relegate to second class or third class status are free to join the Paramount Rulers in looking for remedy.
Uko: Some people are alledging that the Paramount Rulers collected N5 million naira each to conceal the deal untill the Law was amended and passed. What do you think about this?
Dr. Chris Akpan: Well, the Paramount Rulers might have been given money but I was not there so I don't know if they were given money or not. But what was the money for? For them to abdicate and sale their place? No one with right senses will do that, so it is neither here nor there. As far as I am concerned the Paramount Rulers were not privy to dark, decrepit content of the packaging that they were given and to that extend they have every right to say look we were not part of this, we were fooled, we were deceived, so I am completely with the Paramount Rulers. We must seek redress in court and every reasonable man from Obolo, from Oro and from Annang area is urged to associate himself or herself with the effort to reclaim the state from the hands of the hegemonists and supremacists.
Uko: Doctor, what do you think should be done to the law to make it generally acceptable?
Dr. Chris Akpan: We must go back to the original status, we don't need to have a supremacist. What is my business with Oku Ibom Ibibio? I have no spiritual affinity with him so I cannot go under him. We have our own leaders in the traditional sense and those are the people we take orders from, so the status quo must be reverted to and maintained.
Uko: Thank You Doctor, please lets go back to your political party, APC, what could we say is the hope of the party in Akwa Ibom State at the moment?
Dr. Chris Akpan: Well, as far as I am concerned we have never had it so good. APC had not be known to win elections in the state but we are beginning to do so and we are still hoping that if all things go right as we have planned, infact we may claim the government of the state at the Appellate Court, so the hope of the party is there. As you very well know, alot of party members who felt marginalized and they got out have been brought back in. The Senate President has graciously given appointments to a lot of party members as Aides and that has began to bring some life back to the party. But let nobody be mistaken the rave of APC will certainly arrive Akwa Ibom State and this state is poised subsequently to join the APC family and become part of the center of this country. That is the only way we can progress and our people are very knowledgeable and intelligent people, they know there is no substitute and no alternative to that.
Uko: Doctor, as a member of APC National Executive Council (NEC) are you aware of the lapses in the party's Administration and Management in Akwa Ibom State? Are you aware the State Secretariat according to reports is over taken by overgrown grasses? Are you aware that staff are complaining of unpaid entitlements? What is going on with APC Administration and Management here?
Dr. Chris Akpan: Well, that question should rightly go to those at the state level of the party. At the national level we do not have such challenges and the party is up and doing. There may be loopholes at the state level but I am sure that with the position that we find ourselves something is going to be done to revive the party.
Uko: Doctor, you mean a NEC member you are not empowered by any law to look into what is happening in the party at the state level?
Dr. Chris Akpan: No, I don't have such powers by our own laws. The state has its executive council and they rightly look at issues that affect the party at the state. As a national officer my concern is at Abuja, I can contribute to the development and progress at the state but I do not think I have any powers to audit, query or otherwise inquire into the party as it is being run in the state.
Uko: Okay Doctor, lets end the conversation for today with your message for APC family in Akwa Ibom State especially considering the current socio-economic reality in the country.
Dr. Chris Akpan: Well, what I can tell our party men is that it is clear that there is hardship but I will urge them not to despair. The party is making frantic efforts to ensure that members of the party and indeed all Nigerians benefit from whatever processes are going to be put in place to ensure that we alleviate some of the suffering. We have never had it so good in the party because we now have the number three citizen of Nigeria, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, His Excellency in place. It could have been worse if we never had the fortune to be represented at that senior level, so I am sure with the description of Akpabio as the man who loves people, as the man who turned boys to men, that he will not abandon the members of the party at this critical moment. A lot of goodies are coming for our members and I urge them to remain steadfast, support the party untill finally succour arrives.
Uko: Thank You so much Doctor. Definitely, the final one is the take home for all APC faithful in the state.
Doctor, we will certainly have another conversation soon, please accept my warmest appreciation on behalf of The Sensor Newspapers for giving us your precious time.
(C) The Sensor
