Akpabio gets more desperate * Flies dirty kite in Ikot Abasi

 

* Flies dirty kite in Ikot Abasi, allegedly bribes Benjamin Okoko with #120m to contest

* Stakeholders say ex-guber aspirant’s ambition is dead on arrival 

With less than two months to the next PDP governorship primaries in the state, the Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio has flew yet another dirty political kite with an aim of getting victory for his preferred aspirant. The state Chief Executive sources say have become increasingly aware that the odds as far as the 2015 governorship election is concerned is tilting victory towards Nsima Ekere, his former Deputy and has moved against it.

Impeccable sources from Government House informed our reporter in Calabar during the south-south rally that Chief Akpabio now dreads Nsima Ekere and fears that he may likely emerge his successor. Our sources maintained that Akpabio is jittery that Ekere whom he had earlier joined forces with the former SSG Obong Umana Okon Umana in an attempt to cause an impeachment on the Ikot Abasi born politician has continued to enjoy total and massive support from grassroots politicians, the elites and the women folk.

It was learnt that Godswill Akpabio had become very uncomfortable with the development that Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency had adopted Obong Nsima Ekere as the sole candidate for the 2015 governorship election. Those who know confided in our reporter that following the unshaken position of the federal Constituency on the former Deputy Governor, an apprehensive Akpabio had adopted series of strategies to use in cutting off delegates votes from Obong Ekere. At first the Powers that are advising Akpabio are said to have told the Governor that in order to get at Nsima Ekere, the In law to the Akpabio family, Mr. Mike Sebastine should be empowered with so much amounts of money to enable the SUBEB man attempt a shot at the Governorship position of the state. To this end, Sebastine was taken into confidence with certain vital informations and political strategy of the Akpabio dynasty. Sebastine was however advised by the Akpabio clime to seek for the position of the Governor of Akwa Ibom state. 

A source in Akpabio’s political camp informed that the specifications that were given to Sebastine was for the Esene born politician to employ every apparatus within his strength to stop the popularity and the general acceptance of Nsima Ekere in Ikot Abasi federal Constituency. The Akpabio’s camp rightly believes that of all the gubernatorial aspirants angling to succeed the Governor that Nsima Ekere stands the brightest chance apparently because for one, he has all the stakeholders and major power brokers to his side in his federal constituency. He has remained the only aspirant that has been able to coordinate all interests to his camp. The Akpabio’s camp sees this as a major factor working for the imminent victory of Nsima Ekere.
 

Meanwhile, when Sebastine emerged to do the spoiler job against Nsima Ekere, he ran into traffic politically as youths, women groups and Elders openly denied him and his ambition. Some stakeholders of the constituency had even described his ambition as warped and senseless. The SUBEB man as well did not help himself as he decided to fight dirty when he sponsored some politicians most of whom signatures were alleged to have been forged to deny the endorsement of Nsima Ekere who has since enjoyed the total endorsement and support of the people. This action did not go down well with the people of Ikot Abasi federal Constituency who issued a press stamen that was widely published asking Sebastine to desist fortwith from further insult on Obong Nsima Ekere. Sources say after that backlash from Ikot Abasi to Sebastine, the Akpabio in law is said to have since gone into hiding with his guber ambition which was described by followers of Akwa Ibom Politics as a mockery of politics

But if one would believe that the shutting down of Mike Sebastine was going to make Governor Akpabio turn a new leaf, then such person was living in a fool’s paradise as the state Chief Executive has devised another means to hunt his most loyal aide, Mr. Nsima Ekere.

THE INK gathered from highly placed source in Akpabio’s kitchen cabinet that Godswill had called Mr. Benjamin Okoko and held a closed door interaction with him. The Governor is alleged to have given the former guber aspirant over one hundred and twenty million naira and then directed him to begin full scale publicity that he is interested in the Governorship. Our source said the believe of the Governor is that this will make the people of Eket Senatorial District to be more confused and then they will be an attempt by the people of Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency to be jittery and better still locked in the dark as to whom to support between Benjamin Okoko and Nsima Ekere.

One of Akpabio’s aide confirmed that about #120m was given to Okoko by the Governor when he was boasting to our reporter that Akpabio is a political wizard. Our source said, da u no no say Akpabio na political wizard? He is set to deflate Nsima Ekere’s popularity and he has began so in Nsima’s backyard. When our reporter sought for clarifications on the bourgeois statement, he retorted in Annang dialect, afo kere ke anyie owo isio Benjamin Okoko idi, ete ufok ami (apparently referring to Godswill Akpabio) asio adi so that adi timede camp Ekere awo ayin ade

Meanwhile the ambition of Okoko failed flat as soon as it emerged. Some Exco members in the state PDP who spoke to our reporter informed that the ambition of Benjamin OKoko is dead on arrival as they maintained that he is not a party man and has never contributed to the growth of the party ever since he sold out to Obong Attah in 1999 when democracy returned to the country.

It could be recalled that when Okoko contested against Obong Attah and others, he was the leading candidate until he sold out to the Eduek Ekpe of Asutan Ekpe who eventually became the Governor. Okoko who is said to have collected contracts worth billions of naira is said to have absconded after getting the money for the contract to perish his gubernatorial ambition. Those who supported his ambition then informed our reporter that none of Okoko’s supporters benefitted from the largesse Okoko was settled with. They however wondered what Okoko is coming to get this time around.
 

A top PDP leader from Eastern Obolo informed our reporter that the people of the federal constituency are aware of the fact that Okoko as it is today is a dirty kite being flyed by the Governor to see how he can create disaffection in Nsima Ekere’s camp. The Eastern Obolo strongman however hinted that the people of the federal Constituency are too intelligent to be deceived by Akpabio, Benjamin Okoko and their cohorts. He reiterated that come rain come shine, Ikot Abasi federal constituency will provide block votes for their son Obong Nsima Ekere and that the distractions of Okoko and his likes will add no meaning to the one they have chosen to support.

A competent source from Ikot Abasi LGA who is a strong member of Akwa Ibom Consolidation Alliance had informed THE INK reporter that the state Governor Godswill Akpabio does not appear to be sincere with Benjamin Okoko. He said, he had it on good authority that the Governor had given Benji a fat sum of millions of naira to throw his hat into the ring for the guber position and at the same time, the state Chief Executive had also given the younger brother to Benji, Chelly Okoko the sum of ten million naira and had begged him to support Udom’s guber ambition.  

The Ikot Abasi ACA strongman said, the brand of politics Akpabio is playing is to demonstrate the dishonesty of the Governor’s money given to the Elder Okoko as far as the 2015 governorship election is concerned. He said the money given to Chelly Okoko had even sparked problems in the ACA as Chelly has since held on to the cash. THE INK reporter gathered that the questions on every lips is that if Akpabio was really interested in the Benjamin Okoko political exercise which he is alleged to have footed with over one hundred and twenty million naira, that he would not have directed verbally that Chelly be given #10m naira to support the aspiration of another aspirant.