…It’s a very difficult decision to take says aide.
By Joseph ETTA in Calabar
The Elders forum of Annang People in Akwa Ibom State under the umbrella of AFI and ATI has held a closed-door meeting with their son, Godswill Akpabio, The Minister of Niger Delta.
The Annang socio-political Association, AFI and ATI Annang are pressing hard on Akpabio to forgo the Senatorial race and maintained the status quo as the minister.
They reason that it is for the benefit and good of the Annang people to have both the minister and the Senator.
Akpabio who also holds the traditional title of Outekong Annang – Meaning the warrior, according to sources, has asked the Elders forum for more time to get back to them.
The Press Secretary to the Minister however told Daybreak, that, it was a very difficult decision for Akpabio to make.
Senator Akpabio will have to choose between his ministerial position and the Senate, in what political pandit described as risky political gambling.
Meanwhile, the court of Appeal sitting in Calabar, Cross River State on Saturday 9th November 2019 ordered a rerun of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District election in Essien Udim Local Government Area where Senator Akpabio is alleged to have scored over sixty-eight thousand votes.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Senator Chris Ekpenyong winner of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District winner of the election with 118,215 votes.
Akpabio had headed to the Election Tribunal to challenge the declaration on grounds that he scored 61,329 votes to have emerged the winner, and the tribunal ruled in favour of Chris Ekpenyong.
Akpabio, not satisfied with the tribunal’s judgement filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, Calabar. In it’s ruling, the five man panel ruled that a fresh election be conducted within 90 days in Essien Udim local government, as a result of irregularities which all parties had admitted in their separate addresses.
Senator Godswill Akpabio is expected to pull a minimum of 38,056 margin to upturn the election of Senator Chris Ekpenyong.
However, the Attorney General of Akwa Ibom State, Barr. Uwemedimo Nwoko said the constitutional requirement is that Akpabio should resign his appointment before the rerun.
“He cannot come for rerun without resigning his appointment first. As a public office holder, he has to resign his position 30 days before the election. So he must resign as a minister 30 days before the rerun,” the Attorney General said. Daybreak gathered that Akpabio’s camp is in a fixed on the next line of action.
