After much drama Ekpeyong sends Akpabio on retirement 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), after much drama released the obstructed and delayed result of the Saturday National Assembly election in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, Akwa Ibom State, keenly contested by former Governor Godswill Akpabio of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Deputy Governor Chris Ekpeyong  of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The official result from INEC as announced by Professor Peter IKor Ogban, the Returning Officer for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, Akwa Ibom State, showed that Chris Ekpeyong polled 118, 215 votes to defeat Akpabio who polled  83,158 votes and send the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State into unexpected retirement from the state politics.

Akpabio had defected from the PDP to the APC in the build up to the elections and went into political machinations of imposing Nsima Ekere as APC governorship candidate for the rescheduled March 2 governorship poll in the state. Besides the Nsima Ekere imposing which many stakeholders construed would hinder the power rotation agreement in the state, and perhaps, keeps the Uyo Senatorial District waiting for a longer time, Akpabio has taken up the Senatorial opportunity immediately after completing his eight years of two tenures as governor.  The Uyo zone is only waiting for Governor Udom Emmanuel to complete his second tenure, then, power comes back to them in the next dispensation. They are more reliant on the Udom Emmanuel project than the Nsima Ekere project imposed by Akpabio. In all, the Eket felt it was payback time for Akpabio and then gave their support to Ekpeyong.