A group of state stakeholders and professionals known as the Akwa Ibom Professionals have called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio to retract his remarks against former Governor Obong Victor Attah and other former leaders.
In a statement released in Abuja on Sunday, the group’s national coordinator, Engr. Ufot Akan Umoren, further charged that he was using divisive tactics to try to topple the existing government and advance his political goals.
Former governor Akpabio has recently faced criticism for his assertion that Akwa Ibom had not seen any significant progress prior to his administration in 2007. In addition, he took pride in building other infrastructure, like dual carriageways, as if these were ground-breaking accomplishments in the state’s history.
“Senator Akpabio’s actions and utterances give him away as a wholesomely self-conceited human being,” the statement adds. By criticizing the character and work of His Excellency Obong Victor Attah, the creator of the current Akwa Ibom State, and even Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga, the first indigenous governor of the state, he has crossed the line.
“His baseless assertion that Akwa Ibom State didn’t undergo significant development until he (Akpabio) was appointed governor in 2007 is ludicrous and an intolerable betrayal of the groundbreaking accomplishments and legacy of Obong Victor Attah and other leaders, which the state will continue to benefit from for many years to come.
It is known that Obong Victor Attah’s government laid the groundwork and developed the master plan for the development of Akwa Ibom State. As the governor of Akwa Ibom, Senator Akpabio can proudly point to all of his accomplishments, which stem from the Attah administration.
The Ibom Airport, important highways, dualization projects, gas processing projects, the Ibom Icon and Golf Course, and a number of legacy projects that will benefit the people of Akwa Ibom State for many years to come are just a few of the major landmark projects that Governor Attah initiated, conceptualized, and started to execute.
Above all, Obong Victor Attah led the battle for the derivative money that the State is currently receiving.
“Senator Akpabio was a commissioner for six years in Governor Attah’s administration. Before Governor Attah selected him and gave him the opportunity he used to advance to the position of governor, who was he? A good illustration of the proverbial penniless child who bites the fingers that feeds him is Akpabio.
It is disgusting that, having benefited from Akwa Ibom State, Governor Akpabio is now going around making inflammatory, inciting, and divisive political statements that have the potential to spark a crisis and destabilize the State, rather than working with other leaders to take the State to the next level.
We dare Senator Akpabio to name any accomplishments during his four years as Senate Minority Leader, his four years as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, and his current position as Senate President. He ought to share one suggestion he made in the past to support Nigeria’s economy. He has nothing, of course, to point to.
We advise Senator Akpabio to go back and apologize unconditionally to Obong Victor Attah, other leaders, the administration, and the people of Akwa Ibom State. If this is not enough, we will not hesitate to oppose any more attempts to sow ethnic hatred and divide the state.
The group said that Akpabio should “stop huffing around Akwa Ibom State, concentrate on his duties in Abuja as Senate President, and respect the Will of the People as symbolized in the election of Governor Eno.”
