Group denies report on Akpabio disgraced out of APC NEC meeting

The youth wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has refuted reports that the Minster of the Niger Delta and former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, was disgraced out of the APC National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja last Friday.

Obong Iniobong John, Akwa Ibom State Chairman, APC National Youth Caucus, in a statement – Re: Sen. Akpabio disgraced out of APC NEC Meeting,debunked the report, accusing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State of being behind the story which he said is false.

The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to a deliberate falsehood cooked up and circulated by a certain Nkereuwem Mendie, that the Hon. Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, H.E. Senator Godswill  Akpabio, attempted to gatecrash the APC NEC meeting held last Friday and was disgraced out of the venue of the meeting on the orders of the National Chairman of the party.

“It is part of the coordinated campaign of calumny by agents of the state government against his person and office. We know where the fake story was conceived and scripted and we know the brains behind it.

“The strategy is to use such fake stories to distract public attention from the ineptitude and lack luster performance of the government but they have failed. We can’t be distracted.

“Rather than wasting their time conceiving and circulating lies against Senator Godswill  Akpabio, PDP media urchins should think of what they can do to defend failed and abandoned projects by this government.

“The story is false in its entirety, as Sen. Godswill Akpabio, not being a member of that organ of the party, has never made any efforts to gatecrash any of its meetings.

“The Hon Minister is a distinguished leader of the party and is being held in high esteem by the National leadership of the party.

“He is very focused on delivering on his mandate as the Hon. Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and nothing and nobody can distract him.

“The public should disregard such fake story and the brains behind it.”

Reports had it that the Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, was humiliated on Friday when he was sent out of the APC National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the National Secretariat, Abuja. It was said that Senator Godswill Akpabio made his way to the APC NEC meeting bit was disgraced and walked out of the APC NEC meeting on the directive of the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

Reports indicated that “Akpabio gate-crashed and sauntered into the venue of the APC NEC meeting uninvited and sat on the front row reserved for Governors and NEC members. On noticing Akpabio’s presence, APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, politely asked him to vacate the seat as he was not a NEC member.”

Akpabio was said to have undermined the APC national chairman, allegedly claiming that he was a two term Governor which gave him the privilege to attend the meeting and seat in the front row meant for governors.

The reported further indicated that “infuriated by Akpabio’s resistance to vacate the seat, the National Chairman, then, advised the Minister to look around at the attendees and point at any former Governor present at the meeting, to which he could not find any. Thereafter, the National Chairman immediately ordered security officials to throw him out of the seat and subsequently disgraced out of the NEC meeting.”

Akwa Ibom State APC Youths have, however, declared that the narrative is complete falsehood.