•••Says his purported withdrawal, ruse
A foremost Socio- Political Group, with membership spread across the six geo- political zones of the country; National Patriotic Forum For Equity, Fairness And Justice (NPFEFJ) has reaffirmed the commitment of the former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to contest for the office of the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
A statement issued by the leadership of the group, at the end of its National Delegates’ Conference in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital stated that “from interactions with some notable figures in the camps of the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, he has not withdrawn from the race for the office of the Senate President in the coming 10th Senate and has no reason(s) whatsoever to withdraw from the race.”
The statement which was signed on behalf of the group by Oloye Tunde Olakojo and Mallam Shehudeen Abdulkadir, National Coordinator and General Secretary respectively and made available to newsmen, decried the politics of lies, blackmail and character assassination being used by various interests, supporters and aspirants to secure endorsements from the party leaders and stakeholders.
According to the group, “we condemn in its entirety the politics of falsehood against Senator Godswill Akpabio and his ambition. From our independent findings, Senator Akpabio is the natural choice of the people because of his national appeal across party lines for the revered office of the Senate President.
Senate presidency: Akpabio’s man to beat, no plans to drop out – Afegbua
” The introduction of lies and propaganda as strategies in an attempt to eliminate competitors is not healthy for our democracy and it should be condemned by well-meaning citizens of this country.
“From information at our disposal, majority of Senators -Elect and returning Senators have since settled and queued behind the candidacy of Senator Akpabio because of his intimidating credentials, achievements in public office, his track records, maturity and experience. His contributions to the success of the party at the South South zone in the last general elections stand him out among the crowd.
“Apart from the above, coming from the zone that has not produced the Senate President since the commencement of democratic rule in1999, and the oil producing zone of the country, his knowledge in the Oil and Gas sector of the economy and as a former Minister of the Niger Delta region, his election as the number three citizen, would be a plus for the zone and the country in general.”
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