-Boycotts A’Ibom APC Elders Meeting in Senate President’s house
By the Guide Newspaper
The cold war between the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo and the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Godswill Akpabio took a new dimension last week with Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo boycotting the Akwa Ibom State APC Elders Meeting organized by Governor Umo Eno at Senator Godswill Akpabio’s residence in Ukana, Essien Udim Local Government Area.
The APC Elders Meeting which took place in Ukana last Friday at Akpabio’s residence was organized by Governor Eno to brief critical elders of APC in Akwa Ibom State about the progress made towards building the party since he led members of his cabinet and other supporters to join the All Progressive Congress , APC in Akwa Ibom State early this year.
The Guide Newspaper reports that the sixty elders of Akwa Ibom State who were invitated to attend the meeting were drawn from the All Progressive Congress across all local government areas in Akwa Ibom State. The meeting which was closely monitored by the Guide Newspaper provided an opportunity for the Governor Eno and Senator Godswill Akpabio to meet with APC elders in the state, interact and review the affairs of the party since Governor Umo Eno joined the party.
Speaking with the Guide Newspaper on why Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo boycotted the meeting, a close supporter of the minister hinted that Hon. Minister was not comfortable with the idea of taking APC Elders Meeting in the State to Akpabio’s residence even when the governor had known that Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo and Senator Godswill Akpabio were not in good terms.
A close supporter of the State Minister for Petroleum Resources (Gas) accused Governor Umo Eno of further worsening the internal crisis of APC in Akwa Ibom State due to his perchant to please the Senate President.
The source further wondered why Governor Umo Eno would prefer to hold a meeting of critical stakeholders of the party at someone’s residence rather than holding it in Government House, Uyo, or taking the meeting to a neutral location where every one invited would be free to attend and express himself without any intimidation.
Governor Eno while speaking during the meeting in Ukana had told the APC elders that he had chosen Senator Godswill Akpabio home for the meeting as a mark of honour to the Senate President who he described as his political grandfather.
The Guide Newspaper has been following closely the relationship between Senator Godswill Akpabio and Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo and has on authority that the duo have been avoiding each other in recent times.
It would be recalled that Senator Godswill Akpabio despite been in Akwa Ibom State during the burial of Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo’s mother in-law, failed to attend the burial. The Guide Newspaper reports that the Senate President only mandated Hon. Unyime Idem, the Member Representing Ukanafun/ Oruk Anam Federal Constituency, whom he had known was going to attend the furneral service to represent him and read his condolence message for the family at the event; the Senate President has failed to pay any condolence visit to Ekperikpe Ekpo’s family before and after the mother- in- law was buried.
