The Chairmen of the 10 local government areas in Ikot Ekpene senatorial district of Akwa Ibom, have handed down a 7-day ultimatum with effect from the 24th of April 24, 2013 to Senator Alloysius Etok, to retract his statement on stalling the nomination of Governor Godswill Akpabio, as the aspirant for the senatorial district in the 2015 general elections.
The chairmen stormed the state office of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) in Uyo, the state capital, where they condemned the Senator’s recent statement that the senatorial seat is not vacant.
Senator Etok is currently representing Ikot Ekpene senatorial district in the National Assembly and the state governor who is rounding off his second term in office, revealed to Channels Television in an exclusive interview that he will be running for the Senate in the 2015 elections as demanded by his people.
Mr Akpabio hails from Ikot Ekpene senatorial district.
Meanwhile, speaking on a radio programme on issues of the state, Senator Etok, is reported to have declared that “the seat was not vacant.”
He is also reported to have stated that the governor should have consulted with him before going public with his ambition to contest for his current seat in the Senate.
The protesting counsellors while issuing the ultimatum demanded that Senator Etok must issue an “unreserved apology to the governor and the entire people of Ikot Ekpene senatorial district” over the statement.
The Senator was not in the state at the time of the incident but residents of the oil rich state said they are looking forward to how the political crisis will play out between a political god father and his self-confessed anointed political son.
It will be recalled that Mr Akpabio was recently embroiled in an election rigging controversy when he openly confessed that he scratched off the name of another aspirant for Mr Etok to emerge a Senator.
The Governor has since explained that he was ‘misunderstood‘ because the changing of names was done ahead of the party primaries and election during the party leaders talk.
