In the emerging political melodrama, Akwa Ibom Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has again dragged Senator Godswill Akpabio to the suffocating political space. Verbal assaults and tantrums are tools of war. Yet, human rights lawyer has warned the party against dragging judiciary into its political propaganda.
Recall that the trial judge, Justice Okon Abang in his ruling on May 17, 2019, said the senator only “moved to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), out of frustration of being expelled by the PDP through a letter dated August 2, 2018.”
The judge held that having been expelled from PDP, Akpabio was at liberty to join another political party of his choice and any attempt to declare his seat vacant as requested by the plaintiff, Legal Defence and Assistant Project would be to punish him for exercising his right to freedom of association under section 40 of the Constitution.
Since the judgment, PDP in the state has not taken it lightly but has taken Akpabio to tatters.
Countering the ruling, Ini Ememobong, the party’s publicity secretary, at a press conference he addressed on Monday, debunked “We state that nothing can be farther from the truth than the transparent lie of expulsion shamelessly spewed by Chief Akpabio. We make bold to state that at no time was Chief Akpabio suspended or expelled from the party. Chief Akpabio had announced to the world on August 8, 2018 that he was defecting from the PDP to the APC in pursuit of National interest and to stem the tide of defections at the National Assembly.”
Reading from a text entitled “Akpabio’s Alleged Expulsion: When Shamelessness Becomes Habitual,” Ememobong noted “In fact, at different campaigns, he mocked the PDP as being empty since his uncommon defection. At no time did he mention the issue of expulsion, which has now become his creation as a lame defence to keep his seat.
“He conspired with Ntiedo Usoro, the then Chapter Chairman of Essien Udim to illegally write a letter of expulsion to him and back date same. The said Ntiedo having completed his assignment, later defected and joined Chief Akpabio in the APC.”
According to him, “This ignoble comedy which has been taken beyond sane limits is most condemnable and dishonorable. It is indicative of the total exit of honour from a man whom many erroneously held in high esteem. There is no way that Senator Akpabio could have been expelled by the party, without the concurrence of the State Executive Committee of the party.
“There is no record showing the existence of such a punitive move undertaken against the senator by his ward or chapter executive council. Expulsion is a process and not an event.
“We know that the disgraced senator is running from his shadows and questioning karma, as his conscience is putting him to remembrance of how he masterminded the suspension and eventual expulsion of his predecessor, Obong Victor Attah from the Party (though the act was reversed by the National Exco of the party). His successor, Governor Udom Emmanuel and the incumbent party leadership under Obong Paul Ekpo have decidedly made themselves unavailable for karma to use against him.
“Nigerians are not fools and cannot be deceived by double speak and greed propelled dishonesty, but they may be amused by face saving but disdainful comedy, scripted and acted by an uncommon National Comedian.
“Senator Akpabio should count today as his lucky day, because if our great party had been joined in that suit, his fake bravado would have evaporated, exposing his real and inherent cowardly character and paranoia-influenced mindset.”
“We warn Senator Akpabio to desist forthwith from including the PDP in his serial lies. He is history to us, for all we care and soon, will be history to his Senatorial District- people who have sent the disgraced senator on compulsory political retirement.
“A brave man should prepare to face the natural consequences of his actions and not to engage in perennial doublespeak, disgraceful pendulum motion and irreverent redefinition of established terms,” he warned.
However, Leo Ekpenyong, an Abuja based human rights lawyer, has admonished the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State to stop dragging the judiciary into its political propaganda following the recent ruling of Justice Okon Abang of the federal high court, Abuja on the defection of Senator Godswill Akpabio from the party.
Ekpenyong in a text entitled “Stop infantile attack on judiciary,” said the claim by the state’s PDP Public Secretary, Ini Emembong, that Akpabio was not expelled from the party, is nothing but an orchestrated campaign of vicious calumny.
The human rights lawyer while reacting to the recent outburst of the PDP’s publicity secretary, said the attack on judiciary is a calculated attempt by the PDP to tarnish the image of the judiciary, and a joke taken too far which is worthy of condemnation.
According to him, “Reading the full text of the judgment as well delivered by his Lordship, Abang, you cannot but agree with him into to that the ratio upon which he premised his decision is founded and predicated on the law and logical sagacity.
“The law has provided avenues for remedy for dissatisfied litigants and interested parties to further seek redress where and when they so desire, which is the right of appeal.
“Ememobong and the PDP in Akwa Ibom State can explore this option. Without prejudice to their right to freedom of expression, their veiled vituperations on the judiciary using Senator Akpabio as their target is not only childish, but a calculated attempt by the PDP to tarnish the image of the judiciary that has refused to do their bidding.
“Senator Akpabio’s depositions and claims where brought and argued before the temple of justice and not in the media.
“As we continue to deepen the struggle for the entrenchment and consolidation of our democracy, we assure every oppressed Akwa Ibom child who is suffering discrimination and segregation that President Buhari’s administration will halt the era of graft in Nigeria.
He further condemned the state governor, Emmanuel Udom for allegedly dismissing an Akwa Ibom indigene from Ibom Air, the State-owned airline, for merely suspecting that he has an affiliations with APC.
“Governor Udom Emmanuel and his co-travellers should be worried more about his place in history as well as the judgement of posterity for his rule of vindictiveness and totalitarianism.
While noting that the governor has unbridled intolerance for dissenting views and opinions, he said the government will be called to account for the humongous funds that accrued to the State, which he said were recklessly deployed during the last general elections to unseat the President.
He further assured that the attempts to short-change and deny Akwa Ibom indigenes of their commonwealth on the basis of tribe or political affiliation will be resisted via all lawful means, regardless of whose ox is gored.
