Chris Ekpenyong and Senator Godswill Akpabio.
A former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom state Chris Ekpenyong has threatened to release “damning records of secret deals” by Godswill Akpabio, a senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial district at the Nigerian Senate.
Ekpenyong, who was removed from office in 2005, said this while warning Akpabio to stop attacking him.
Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom state, was alleged to have said Ekpenyong deceived him into defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In his response, the former deputy governor described Akpabio’s allegation as “baseless and childish”.
Ekpenyong said the ex-governor was blackmailing him because PDP stakeholders in Akwa Ibom have endorsed him as a consensus candidate to lock horns with Akpabio in the 2019 election in Akwa Ibom north-west senatorial district.
His words: “It sounds childish that someone of that level should make this kind of baseless allegation simply because I am challenging him for the mandate we willingly gave to him in 2015, which he threw away because of selfish interest,” he reportedly told some of his supporters during the weekend.
“Assuming someone gave that kind of advice and agreed, it means someone can ask him to go and jump into the river and he would obey? If he continues to attack me, I will unleash his records of secret deals.
“I am happy that generally, people know Akpabio to be an uncommon liar; he cannot continue to fool everybody all the times with his lies.
“I want to implore all of you to go back to your various local governments to begin your campaign for effective change in our zones.”
However, Akpabio’s media aide, Anietie Ekpong, dismissed the allegation, describing it as a rumour that could have emanated from anywhere.