The Akwa Ibom State governor, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, may have
been barred from the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, over what insiders
refer to as his “poor comportment and misbehaviour” inside the seat of
the Nigerian federal government.
During a recent visit to the Aso Rock Villa, the governor of the
oil-rich state and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Governors’ Forum was said to have distributed large sums of dollars to
security men and presidential aides who were on duty inside the Villa,
which got to the knowledge of the President.
The seemingly corrupt influences of Gov. Akpabio may have prompted
the decision of the President, Dr. Goodluck Ebeble Jonathan, to bar him
from the villa as Akpabio is said to be in the corrupt habit of sharing
thousands of dollars to staff of the presidential villa during his
visits so much so that staff of the villa always look forward to his
visit and sometimes, hang around the premises even when they would have
completed
their shift in anticipation of Akpabio’s dollar rain!
Unaware of the President’s stance over his reckless behaviour,
Akpabio recently paid another unscheduled visit to Aso Rock and was
expecting the usual red carpet reception from the staff, but to his
shock was denied entry and had to turn back with his entourage in shame.
The security details acting on “orders from above” refused to open
the gate for him and asked him instead to go back to avoid further
embarrassment .
The governor’s attempt to speak with the Nigerian First Lady, Dame
Patience Jonathan, over the issue resulted in further rebuff as the
first Lady in her characteristic bluntness told Akpabio who has made
Abuja his second home to go back to Uyo and exercise his mandate of
governing Akwa Ibom state instead of turning himself into a nuisance in
Abuja.
Lately, Godswill Akpabio has acquired the reputation of an “unserious
governor” who is always giving away hefty sums of state resources for
flimsy reasons. His sponsorship of singer Tuface Idibia’s marriage to
Annie Macauley, an indigene of Akwa Ibom state in faraway Dubai also
earned him the nickname of “Donatus”.
Recently also, Akpabio’s gift of N50 million to the country movie
industry, known as Nollywood, among several other donations seems not to
have gone down well with some indigenes of the state who are wallowing
in poverty over unpaid salary.
Residents of Uyo have also accused Akpabio of abandoning Akwa Ibom
state, a state he fought so hard to govern especially during his
campaign for re-election for Abuja, where he is said to be operating
from.
“Our Governor now lives in Abuja and does not seem to care about
whatever happens here. He only parachutes in to commission projects or
declare open seminars and workshops and thereafter goes back to Abuja”,
volunteered a senior party official who would not want his name in
print.
His very frequent visits to the Presidential villa and his unruly
behaviour were said to be giving President Goodluck Jonathan some
serious concerns, and may have informed Jonathan’s decision to restrict
his visit to the Villa. For now, Akpabio, a PDP poster boy is at some
crossroads over the turn of events
Social Plugin