Akpabio: Akwa Ibom governor is a mistake… I regret imposing him on my people

Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom state, has described is Udom Emmanuel as a mistake that must be corrected in 2019.

According to PUNCH, Akpabio, a serving senator, said this at a rally in the Ikot Ekpene area of the state on Sunday.

Akpabio said Emmanuel was “the greatest mistake he made in a hurry” and he asked to be forgiven.

“Udom is a mistake that must be corrected in 2019. All hands must be on deck to ensure that the mistake is corrected for a people-oriented leadership under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the centre,” he said.

He alleged that Emmanuel’s administration had failed the people and this has forced him to take decisive actions to correct “the anomaly for posterity to be fair on him”.

Akpabio said hunger and deprivation had risen in the state since Emmanuel assumed power, saying it was time for “holistic action to liberate the state from the shackles of bad governance”.

Emmanuel had served under Akpabio as secretary to the state government.

The former senate minority leader had chosen Emmanuel as his successor despite the opposition mounted by top members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

Akpabio defected from PDP to APC two weeks ago.