Former Minister of Petroleum, Chief Don Etiebet has said that Akwa Ibom State will cease to be a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-controlled state with the defection of former Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
He said this in a statement personally signed by him on Thursday.
Akpabio, the immediate past governor of the state under the PDP, was on Wednesday received into the APC by the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at a grand reception in Ikot-Ekpene.
Though Etiebet, the chairman of the APC state caucus, was not at Akpabio’s reception, he welcomed Akpabio into the APC fold, describing him as an asset that would help the party consolidate its work towards taking over the state government from the PDP.
The statement read: “I had been out of the country since Saturday 29th July, 2018 for some medicals which I had been postponing since April because of all the APC activities during the period and I had to leave in order to come back on time for the start of the primaries.
“When I left, it was only rumours that Senator Godswill Akpabio might be decamping to APC. While away Vanguard newspaper texted me on my feelings towards the rumoured decampment of Senator Godswill Akpabio and I replied that if the rumours become consummated I would be very excited.
“Of course, as the leader of the Party and Chairman the State Caucus of the Party I have been bombarded by so many calls by our members, even from the reception grounds at Ikot Ekpene Stadium when it was said that some of our National Leaders had pronounced Senator Akpabio Leader of the Party in the State. I told them to calm down until I return.
“I want to state categorically that nothing can sway me to leave APC for any other political Party. I will live and retire from politics with APC and whosoever is fishing is wasting his or her time. I also want to state that I welcome whole heartedly Senator Godswill Akpabio into the APC family in Akwa Ibom State and his coming will undoubtedly consolidate our work to build a very verile APC in Akwa Ibom State to drive away PDP from Akwa Ibom State.
“We were the PDP in Akwa Ibom State which made Akwa Ibom 100% PDP and with Senator Godswill Akpabio coming to APC, the annihilation of PDP in the State is complete and Akwa Ibom is now 100% APC and Governor Udom Emmanuel is counting his days at the Hilltop Mansion, Uyo.”