He was rigged out
••• Ekpoudom is a man of honor and integrity -Akpabio
By Sampson Eno
Contrary to media report that Senator Godswill Akpabio lost his return bid to the Senate in 2019, it has been revealed that the former governor won the election overwhelmingly, but was rigged out by agents of the state government.
Speaking at Ward 5 Etim Ekpo Local Government Area of the state, during the All Progressives Congress (APC) ward tour by Senator Akpabio on Thursday, a major player in the conspiracy, but now a chieftain of the Young Peoples Party (YPP), who was a strong ally and reliable foot soldier of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, Mr Emmanuel Enoidem, Hon Uduot Jack stated,” let me use this opportunity to publicly confess that Senator Akpabio was never defeated as was declared by the state Mike Igini-led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), we rigged him out with my former Leader, Emmanuel Enoidem, as the mastermind. Sir, you won that election squarely. You were rigged out.”
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According to the two-term former local government boss of Etim Ekpo, who untill recently was a staunch supporter of Emmanuel Enoidem, ” we have since realized our mistakes and we are now ready to correct it by casting all our votes in Ward 5 for you as the APC Senatorial candidate. Your support transcends party boundaries because you are the best we can send at this moment to the Senate. All members of the PDP, YPP as well as the APC which is your party, have all resolved to cast their votes for you on the 25th of February. This election has nothing to do with party affiliation, it is a personality affair.”
” We have all decided that we would give you in this Ward 100 percent of our votes. That is the decision we have all made. We will set up a panel to investigate if any other party got up to 100 votes in this ward. This support is total. You did so much for Etim Ekpo when you were governor, we are ready to support your senatorial ambition so that we would gain more from you. Since you left the party to date, people have been leaving the umbrella party and it is now very insignificant and empty allover the state,” he declared.
Speaking further Jack noted,” you are a former two-term governor, a former Senate Minority Leader and a former Minister of the Federal Republic. If we send you to the Senate, you would be a ranking Senator and that means a lot to us. You are too strong a brand to be consumed by micro zoning. When they talk about Abak5, who are they? We are the people that make things happen here. If we don’t give you our votes, who else?
In his remarks at the event, retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Udom Ekpoudom, who hosted the entourage of the former Minister of Niger Delta and the governorship candidate, Obong Akan Udofia, in his country home, publicly declared his support for the political ambitions of Senator Akpabio, Obong Akan Udofia and all other candidates of the party. There after, he publicly handed over his political structure for the candidates to use for their electoral victory.
In the words of the former governor of the state, who is also the candidate of the APC for the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, Senator, “I came here to once again, thank my brother, DIG Udom Ekpoudom, for putting the interest of our party and Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District first on the table. We honour and celebrate you today.
“You are not like one of our self acclaimed leader who promised to support me if I won the governorship ticket in 2006, only to renege and formed the Association of Governorship Aspirants in Akwa Ibom State and he made himself the national president and when I confronted him, he said,”it is all politics and today he is claiming to be the leader of Abak5.”
” But Ekpoudom is a man of his words. We both agreed to work together after the decision of the Supreme in the interest of the party and the district. He has just demonstrated what he promised today by hosting us in his ward. He is not somebody that can be swayed by financial inducement. He saved Nigeria with integrity and forthrightness,” he declared.
