Defection trauma: Akpabio battles for survival

Former Senate Minority Leader, and former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has been struggling for survival to avert his seat being declared vacant in the National Assembly following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
National Daily learnt that PDP leaders have been contending that there is no conflicts in the party to have warranted Akpabio’s defection.
The former Minority Leader who defected with the PDP mandate, however, on Monday in Abuja, argued that  any move to declare his seat vacant in the Senate will prove abortive. He maintained that if his seat must be declared vacant, the seats of those who defected to the PDP should also be declared vacant.
Akpabio insisted that, “if the excuse of those calling for his seat to be declared vacant is that there is no rancour in PDP to warrant his defection, they should also know that there is no rancour in APC.
“Any defection from APC to PDP, we will like to declare those seats vacant.
“As you are looking at me, do I look perturbed? I have not heard the report.
“I think that is a rumour because at the moment, there is no division in the APC. The APC is one family.
“If you hear about R-APC that was not really a political party, that was not a division.
“It has since been consumed in what they call Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP).”
Akpabio, however, stated that he was not aware of the threat by APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to ensure the impeachment of the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
Akpabio declared: “I just came in from Ikot-Ekpene, where I decided with my people to join APC. I’m yet to be briefed on any of those items. I have not heard anything.
“Why don’t you wait for me to formally talk to you? I believe that when the National Assembly resumes, you will hear from me directly. So, exercise patient.”
Meanwhile, the resumption date of the National Assembly remains uncertain. The Senate President the House of Representatives Speaker on Tuesday issued a joint statement that no date has been fixed for the reconvening of the National Assembly.