Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel, blamed his predecessor

Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel, has blamed his predecessor, Senator Godswill Akpabio for being the mastermind behind the crisis rocking the state's House of Assembly.

Following the pandemonium that happened at the assembly complex on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, the governor stressed that democracy in the state is being threatened.

Five lawmakers who were sacked by the Akwa-Ibom state House of Assembly for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) tried to commence impeachment proceedings against the Governor.

Emmanuel however stormed the Assembly complex and stopped the lawmakers from sitting.

Referring to Akpabio, who served as commissioner before becoming governor then senator, Gov Udom wrote on his Twitter handle (@MRUdomEmmanuel), "The mastermind of this crisis include people that this state gave the opportunity to become what they never dreamt they could become. People that other people gave the opportunity to become a commissioner for 6 years & a Governor for 8 years, making it 14 years.

"I want to let the world know that Nigerians fought & gave their lives in this country for us to enjoy the democracy we currently have today, but due to the ambition of selfish people, our democracy is being threatened in #AkwaIbom State."

 

In response, Senator Akpabio has dismissed the accusation, stressing that the governor's "brazen act of lawlessness" was responsible for the crisis. The lawmaker, in a statement released by his spokesperson, Anietie Ekong, said the governor is the major sponsor of the crisis.

The statement  read, "In his desperation to shop for who to blame and pass the buck, Governor Udom Emmanuel has blamed the security agencies in the State, and Senator Akpabio has only become his latest victim;

"How can a state Governor accuse Senator Akpabio of being the brain behind the crisis, and at the same time declared that ‘the police should be held responsible for any breakdown of law and order in the state and not any other person’? Does it add up?

"It is on record that the Governor personally led his security aides and thugs to the House of Assembly and supervised the manhandling of some members of the House of Assembly who were performing their constitutional duties.

"The brazen act of lawlessness by the Governor is responsible for the crisis. In justifying this meddlesomeness and interference in the functions of a separate arm of government, the Commissioner for Information of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Charles Udoh said he went to the House of Assembly as the Chief Security Officer of the State!

"It is instructive that Senator Akpabio was never at the scene of the fracas, neither has anyone any evidence of his involvement, except the oft-repeated strategy of blaming anything that is wrong in the State on Senator Akpabio. 

"We advice Governor Emmanuel to brace up and face the challenges of his office, instead of looking for who to blame for his lacklustre performance in the last three and half years which have made Akwa Ibom people determined to democratically vote him and his party out in the election next year.”