₦airaland Forum

otuekong1:
@odik u no dey tire for akpabio tori, haba r u a monitoring demon, abeg relax ur mind

Just In: Akwa Ibom PDP loses deputy governor Moses Ekpo to APC

Pa Moses Ekpo, deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State has reportedly resigned, according to a tweet by @APCNewspaper and ibom.com.ng

The resignation has not been confirmed officially by the PDP controlled Akwa Ibom State Government, but the APC organ said Ekpo, the oldest deputy governor in Nigeria, is heading to join Senator Godswill Akpabio into the All Progressives Congress. Both are political allies. Akpabio was a former governor of the state for eight years(2007-2015) and installed incumbent Governor Udom Emmanuel.

BREAKING: @MrUdomEmmanuel Deputy, Pa Moses tenders resignation. To join @SenatorAkpabio in @OfficialAPCNg on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/LBSGQdM2CI

— APC Newspaper (@APCNewspaper) August 5, 2018
Ekpo, a veteran journalist, diplomat and administrator was born on 22 December 1941 at Abak in Akwa Ibom State.

He attended both the Government School and Holy Family College, in Abak for his primary and secondary education before going to the London Polytechnic, University of Wisconsin, Madison, U.S.A and World Intellectual Property Organization Academy (WIPO), Geneva Switzerland.

He holds a Diploma and B.Sc. in Journalism and a WIPO Academy Diploma as well as a certificate of the United States Patent Academy, in addition to several certificates and diplomas earned from many international workshops and seminars.

In a public service career spanning over four decades, Mr. Ekpo had served as Proof Reader, Reporter and Editor in several Nigerian newspapers and broadcasting organisations. He served in senior editorial and management positions in the Daily Express, Daily Times, West African Pilot, the Morning Post, Eastern Nigeria Broadcasting Service and Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service.

He was for years the Nigerian country Correspondent for the Voice of America (VOA), Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Ekpo was also General Manager of Cross River State Newspaper Corporation, Publishers of the Nigerian Chronicle Group of Newspapers.

He also served as Chief Information Officer in the Cross River State Government as well as the Chief Public Relations Officer to that Government.

He was also Assistant Director of Information and Acting Federal Director of Information
and Director of Nigerian Information Service with concurrent accreditation to Europe and the Americas.

He was Commissioner for Information, Social Development, Youths & Sports at different times in both Cross River and Akwa Ibom States.

Among other roles performed in the past, Ekpo was Director, Nigerian Copyright Council. Director-General, Nigerian Copyright Commission, President of the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization and a Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission, Abuja.

The latter was the last position held until his election into office as the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State

All things being equal, former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, may leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) this week and join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a presidential aide has disclosed.

Special Assistant on Prosecution to President Muhammadu Buhari, Okoi Obono-Obla, posted on Facebook, Saturday night, a message saying Akpabio will be received into APC on Thursday by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo and other top leaders of the party at a rally in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State. Obono-Obla also posted a photo of Akpabio with APC national leader, Bola Tinubu.

Akpabio, who has already taken some conscious steps as regards his anticipated defection, was said to have met with Buhari in London, where the president is currently spending a 10-day vacation. The former Akwa IIbom State governor had earlier met with Osinbajo in Abuja last week, in what is believed to be to a move to properly situate his defection plan.


But sources within the PDP, which appeared not to be disturbed by the development, dismissed Akpabio as one big mole it had to deal with over time, noting that he has divulged virtually all the party’s plans and strategies to the opposition in an alleged attempt to secure protection from prosecution.

THISDAY gathered last night that the speculation about Akpabio’s imminent exit from the PDP was beyond rumour, as he was said to have met with practically everyone that matters in the party.

Sources hinted that baring any last minute change, the defection ceremony had already been slated to hold this week, not later than mid-week at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, the state capital.

Although sources hinted that the former governor of Akwa Ibom State had tried to leave the PDP with some senators from the state, everyone he approached was said to have rebuffed his advice, because according to them, the APC stood no chance in the state, let alone the region.

THISDAY gathered that the APC government had shown Akpabio a dossier on some of his alleged atrocities as governor, including monies said to have been stashed in different places, through the EFCC. Joining the ruling party was alleged to be a condition given to him to avoid prosecution for corruption. The former governor was said to have reluctantly accepted the condition.

However, disappointed PDP leaders, who spoke to THISDAY on condition of anonymity, said they had since known about Akpabio’s predicament and encouraged him to fight on and not give in to the APC threat.

“But because his hands, too, are not clean, they were able to box him to a very bad corner,” the source said, adding, “His options, we believe, were limited. But he had done so much damage to us. He was our biggest mole. He held strategy meetings with us and went back to divulge all to the APC just to save face. We won’t miss him; he can go.

“However, the one thing that his defection will prove to Nigeria is the hypocrisy of the ruling party. We will see their reaction and that of their supporters, who almost killed those who left the APC to join the PDP recently. We are waiting to see the fallout and this is, indeed, interesting.”

One of PDP sources said they started noticing Akpabio’s double agent moves, when he started making a case for the reconvening of the National Assembly, as being pushed by the APC.

The source said Akpabio had already agreed to do a letter of the opposition agreeing to the reconvening, which is one of the requirements, before the PDP leaders told him they would deny him if he went ahead to write such a letter on behalf of the opposition, knowing full well it was not in the national interest.

But Akpabio, sources said, immediately travelled to see the president to personally seal his defection deal and secure assurances of non-prosecution from him. It added that he was not very satisfied with his meeting with Osinbajo, even though it was said to be productive.

He was said to have contended that personally meeting with the president was important to him before taking the option of defection to the APC, adding that such a meeting would help to sufficiently arm him to talk to others, who might be disposed to defecting with him.

It was as a result of this that some of the close aides of the president, including a top and prominent security person in the presidency, who is believed to be coordinating the current engagement with the National Assembly, facilitated the meeting between him and the president in London.

Although still in London, Akpabio is expected back in the country this week to perfect his defection arrangement and ceremony before the end of the week.

Meanwhile, THISDAY has gathered that Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel did not receive the news of the proposed defection of his godfather well but has resolved to move on regardless.

Sources noted that the relationship between the two leaders was not very cordial, as they have had to expose their differences over political and financial matters.

THISDAY learnt that other PDP governors in the South-south had also promised to rally round Emmanuel, saying they would not allow the federal government to intimidate him through Akpabio.

Sirjamo:
Sounds like a typical ipobian with his empty chest beating

Kyase:
Tinubu and Buhari are the owners of Apc.
Anyways the governor is Umahi of Ebony.

udo2018:
Ekiti was never first in WAEC

THE Supreme Court will today give judgment in the appeal filed by Senate President Bukola Saraki and a cross-appeal by the Federal Government.

The main appeal and cross-appeal are against the December 12, 2017 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja in an earlier appeal by the prosecution in the trial of Saraki for alleged false assets declaration before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

The CCT, headed by Danladi Umar, had in a ruling in June last year, upheld Saraki’s no-case submission and dismissed the 18-count charge on which he was being tried.

The prosecution, led by Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which partially upheld the appeal in the December 12, 2017 judgment.

The Court of Appeal restored three counts out of the 18 contained in the charge and ordered Saraki to enter defence, in respect of the three counts, before the CCT.

Saraki appealed the decision to the Supreme Court and prayed the apex court to among others, restore the decision of the CCT and dismiss the charge in its entirety.

In the cross-appeal, the prosecution wants the Supreme Court to restore the entire 18 counts and order Saraki to enter defence in respect of all the counts.

kahal29:
Imagine if Sule Lamido had decamped to the APC in 2015, he too will be boasting today that he delivered Jigawa to the APC. The truth is PMB delivered those who joined APC from PDP from what Babangida Aliyu and Sule Lamido are suffering from today, those folks are in Political Bermuda Triangle!!!! I want Kwakwanso and others to leave, let us know who actually saved who in 2015!

Via D1 Ayekooto