‘Since He Came Into APC It Has Not Been Well With Us’- Ita Enang Tackles Akpabio

Former Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, It’s Enang has accused the Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio of being a troublemaker in any political party he joins, declaring his purported expulsion from the All Progressives Congress, APC, as fake news that cannot stand.

Enang made the accusation on Wednesday while speaking on Arise TV.

The former Senator was reacting to a letter that surfaced online announcing his expulsion from the APC.

The letter was allegedly signed by the APC Chairman, Akwa Ibom State chapter, Stephen Ntukekpo, dated 24 January 2023.

The letter which was addressed to the chairman of the APC in Emamg’s ward in Ibiono Local Government Area said Enang was expelled for taking the party and its governorship candidate to court.

The former aide to the president was contesting the governorship ticket with Akanimo Udofia. The Court of Appeal, a few days ago ruled Udofia as the authentic candidate of the APC in the state, in a matter Enang said would further be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Declaring his expulsion as null and void, Enang, a one-term senator said, “I will not allow any distraction. I will avoid everything that is capable of causing tension or causing a division and bring all members of the party to come together, work together, work with me, work with my brother, the Honorable Minister of Niger Delta affairs, Honourable Umana Okon Umana the former MD of NDDC and former Deputy Governor of the State and our immediate past Governorship candidate Nsima Ekere and all other leaders to work together to receive His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari and incoming President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“So, nobody has suspended me, nobody has done anything affecting my status at the party, and there is no judgment that gives anybody the ticket of the party.

“All these actions are taken against me because I have gone to court to defend myself,” he explained.

He further explained that, “Tomorrow, I am sued by Akanimo Udofia at the Federal High Court 8 in Abuja. I am going to be in court tomorrow. Yesterday, I was in court in this matter and for defending myself in court, I am asked to be suspended by persons who have no authority.

“I’ve been a lawmaker for 24 years. I am entitled by law and the Constitution to defend myself. If you want to suspend somebody that is simply defending himself and you are not suspending somebody who is not a member of the party, but coming, to take the ticket of the party, then who ought to be suspended?

“Above all, the situation is that some of the leaders of the party in the state who have PDP roots and platform want a situation whereby PDP has a candidate for governorship in PDP and PDP also has a candidate governorship on the platform of APC so that APC will not have original member, a lawfully known member of the party,” he added.

Enenga stressed that he defected from the PDP in 2016 when Akpabio had control of the party and imposed his candidate on the state, but “when his will could not be done the way he wanted, he left.

“He was having some problems with the APC colleagues in the Senate, we received him into the APC and sheltered him and since he came from the day he came, it has not been well with the APC.

“And why is it that there Is always trouble? There was a problem when he was at the governor’s forum. It was his action that caused leaders and people like then Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi to leave PDP and came to APC to build and strengthen the APC.”

“Wherever he is, there a problem? Since he came, people have left the party. As of today, APC is in the worst of its dysfunctional situation. all the people who left PDP, because of Godswill Akpabio and sought some shelter, and we took them in APC, 70 percent have gone back to PDP.

” And they’re saying that they were not leaving PDP for whatever, they were leaving because of him. And sorry to say this on national television and let everybody ask Senator Godswill Akpabio. Where is the building since you came, since you became Minister of Niger Delta, people have rather left the party and joined the other parties.

“The present ANPP governorship candidate in the state was the national secretary of the party, he left the party because of Godswill Akpabio and he is now a gubernatorial candidate.

“The state secretary of the party, after contesting this nomination, which was messed up, which I emerged as the candidate party, because of the action of Godswill Akpabio, has left the party, he is the Labour Party candidate for governorship in Akwa Ibom state.

“If you look at all the commissioners that followed Akpabio to the APC, they have all left the party. All the people that used to call the backbone of the party, I won’t mention his name, they have left.

“People who followed him when there was rent seeking when he was minister after he left as Minister, the people have left. Why is it that wherever Godswill is, there is a problem? They want everybody to be out, to be him alone.

“They will not intimidate me to leave APC. They will not intimidate me to leave defending myself in the court.

“In the matter I am going for tomorrow in the court in the Federal High Court, tomorrow, I am not the plaintiff, I am the defendant. They said I should not defend myself, I should allow the wrong process to cause the wrong name of an illegal APC member to be sent to INEC.

“I said I cannot because I must defend the party. I must defend the party and all the APC members therefore, I am so determined to walk and strengthen APC in the state and in the country.

“National Director for the parliamentarian Directorate of the MDC. I am the Co-convener of the relations of the independent campaign, presidential campaign committees of the APC,” Eneng said.