By Ogenyi Ogenyi,Uyo
A chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom, Mr Joesph Okon has expressed disappointment over recent utterances of Senate President, Godswill Akpabio against ex Governor Udom Emmanuel.
He has therefore appealed to the Akpabio to allow the peace and tranquility enjoyed in the last eight years of Emmanuel to continue under the incumbent administration in the state.
Okon told journalists in Uyo yesterday that the Senate President should also advise his media aides against utterances that may heat up the state.
According to the former Special Assistant on Projects to Emmanuel, “the remarks made by the Senate President against ex gov Udom Emmanuel which was widely published was not done in good faith. The incumbent governor visited him out of love and Joy that an illustrious son of our state has emerged the third citizen of the country.
“It was a great opportunity for Akwa ibomites to bury every political difference because we saw the position as a blessing to the state but the godly act of the governor was misunderstood as Senator Akpabio saw the visit as an opportunity to verbally unleashed attack on ex governor Emmanuel.
“He told the new governor that every effort he made to have audience with ex governor Emmanuel when he was a minister was rebuffed, and that his wife was also snubbed when she came to submit a letter for a courtesy visit to the ex governor.
” As an aide to the former Governor, I know from the benefit of hindsight that these are lies well known in the state as it was designed to demonize the immediate past governor Emmanuel. I believe that the ministry of NigerDelta Affairs has a proper channel of correspondence with the States in the region.
” I don’t think any of the channel include sending the former First Lady to come in person to submit letters. How will the immediate past governor knew that she is even coming in person to submit letters and directed that she be ignored , is he a spirit?.
He further stated that, “the Senate President asked Governor Umo Eno not to be like his mentor and should not behave like him, will he like the new governor to behave the way he (Akpabio) behaved with Obong Victor Attah his predecessor whom he accused of leaving behind empty treasury less than 24 hours after assuming office and when Attah advised on the site of the Tropicana Project as a renowned Architect due to poor topography, he was thoroughly lashed in the Media with the then public letter ” What did Attah really want”.
” It was on record that he was furious with Emmanuel’s administration for collecting funds paid to the state by federal government for the federal projects done during his (Akpabio’s administration) without disclosing to him but the truth is that there is no law or constitutional provisions that mandated such disclosure to a former governor.
” As an aide to the Former Governor I can tell you people authoritatively that ex Governor Emmanuel continued paying salaries of all Akpabio’s staff for over one year after he (Akpabio) left office as governor and still availed the state governor’s private jet to him and his wife.
“Ex governor Emmanuel’s prayers has been to have a successor that will treat him, the way he treated his predecessor.”
According to him, “telling Governor Umo Eno not to inherit ex governor Emmanuel’s enemies is another unfortunate detour, Emmanuel didn’t come to government with enemies, he was not even in politics of the state. His administration earned massive goodwill. However trouble started when Akpabio wanted to unseat him in 2019 to deny him a second term.
“I want to put it on record that ex governor Emmanuel never instructed, encouraged or supported anybody to insult the former Governor as alleged by Akpabio’s media aides.”
He said that Senator Akpabio should be celebrating former governor Emmanuel for his courage in standing against the probe of his administration by many federal agencies following petitions written against him.
“‘If ex governor Emmanuel didn’t sit on the petition and prevented federal agencies from probing Akpabio perhaps he would have been incarcerated and won’t be out to contest election. Ex governor Emmanuel did not only sit on the petitions but went to court to challenge the federal agencies right to go through the state account records a task he said is the exclusive right of the state House of Assembly.” He stated.
He maintained that the only enemies ex governor Emmanuel has today are those who fought his choice of pastor Umo Eno as the successor stressing they are mainly Politicians who felt the seat should have rotate to them or the person’s they support.
“In reality Ex governor Emmanuel has no real enemy thus asking Gov Umo Eno not to inherit Udom Emmanuel’s enemies means telling Gov Umo Eno to discard all those who stood by him to rise to the exalted office of the governor ” He concluded.
