Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
Senator Godswill Akpabio’s quest to lead the 10th Senate as its president might soon hit the rock. This is because opposition against his Senate presidential ambition is mounting, especially from the home front.
Apart from the alleged rejection of the All Progressives Congress caucus’ adoption of Akpabio as its consensus candidate for the position by the likes of former Abia State governor, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu and his Zamfara counterpart, Senator Yari, there are indications that many Niger Deltans are also opposed to Akpabio emerging as Senate president.
They are not happy with his alleged poor performance as minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
Speaking to TPCN on Tuesday, some of them expressed lack of confidence in Akpabio’s ability to steer the Senate to greater heights that will impact on Nigerians positively.
“If they want to make Akpabio Senate president, let them make him, but na dem go complain after. This Akpabio wey no fit do anything when he was minister.
“Ordinary road, he no fit construct for us. See East-West road, that Eleme side, he could not repair it. If he can’t help we Niger Delta people when he was our minister, is it when he is Senate president that he will help us? I don’t think so,” a bus driver who plies Eleme-Onne route, said.
Tambari Monday, an Ogoni youth, expressed similar view. He said Akpabio failed the people of Ogoni land when he neglected the Akpajo-Eleme-Ogoni axis of the East-West road after promising to get it fixed.
“He failed us woefully. That road was horrible, accidents everyday, trailers falling. Remember that we even blocked it at a stage during our protest because we were angry and we wanted federal government to repair it without delay,” Tambari recalled.
He added further: “Akpabio came and made empty promise that he will give N2.5 billion to repair the road. That time he was minister of Niger Delta. At the end, Akpabio didn’t repair the road. Go there, you will see that the road is still like that. That bad bridge is still there. I know that he did well for Akwa Ibom when he was governor but he didn’t do well when he was minister and he won’t do well as Senate president.”
Similarly, while commenting on Akpabio’s Senate presidential ambition on a Wazobia FM program on Monday, a resident of Oyigbo, Comrade Chief Oparaigbo, said: “Akpabio was a very good man whren he was governor of Akwa Ibom State. I know how he made Akwa Ibom become London. But state level is not federal level. In as much as Akpabio sees himself as a minister of Niger Delta Affairs, he said he will do Oyigbo road/Aba, at the end of the day kpoko. East West road – Eleme/Onne, refinery dey there, Indorama dey there, Petrochemical, Onne, dem dey make millions of naira for this country; at the end of the day, Akpabio did not do anything.
“I don’t believe that Akpabio merit that number 3rd power in this country, this Senate president, Akpabio did not merit it. He cannot give us what we want in as much as he did not perform well when he was the minister of Niger Delta Affairs.”
Meanwhile, as the race for the Senate presidency and leadership of the 10th National Assembly continue to generate reactions, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State Chapter, has advised all interested persons not to allow their quest to divide Nigerians along ethnic, regional or religious lines.
CAN, in a statement by Rev John Joseph Hayab, Chairman, Kaduna State Chapter, said it believed that Nigeria’s elected representatives, both from the upper and lower chambers, were politically mature enough to do what would make Nigeria great by choosing from among them competent leaders with good experience to do the needed task while respecting regional and religious affiliations.
The statement reads in part: “Some of the inciting messages now going round could create unnecessary rife between the South and North; Christian versus Muslim; it should be disregarded and halted without delay.”
“CAN as a body has earlier advocated for fairness before the general election and believes strongly that a fair and just Nigeria is beneficial to Nigeria’s unity and growth.”
