FAKE NEWS ALERT: Did Akpabio write to Kyari seeking to rig Akwa Ibom elections?

A letter purportedly written by Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom, to request additional security support in order to suppress voting in the state has been trending on social media.

The letter, dated November 15, 2018 and addressed to the chief of staff to the president, Abba Kyari, also requested the full support of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in order to capture Akwa Ibom for the All Progressives Congress (APC) — which Akpabio defected to in 2018 having been the senate minority leader for three years when he was in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“Akpabio” also said he had secured a large expanse of land for cattle settlement and was going to build a mosque in Uyo with the first three months of APC governorship if they won.

The letter was curiously signed off twice — “yours sincerely” in print and “yours faithfully” in handwriting.

This would suggest that his signature and handwritten greeting were copied from another letter and super-imposed.

Here is the full text of the letter.

Gratitude for your marvellous support to Akwa Ibom APC

On behalf of my family, the governorship candidate and the entire members of the APC in Akwa Ibom State, I formally convey my profound gratitude to you for the excellent and unbridled support you have given to the party to ensure that our dear party wins Akwa Ibom in the fast-approaching.

Recall that during my visit last year, I had promised the President that:

1. A cattle settlement will be established in Akwa Ibom State once we win the governorship election. In consonant with that promise, I have ahead of the election acquired and secured 79 hectares of land in Ikono and Ini Local Government Areas in my senatorial district for the first phase of the project. We intend to start with a veterinary hospital to avoid suspicion from the citizens of the state.
2. A befitting mosque to be built in Uyo within the first three months of the new government, to complement the one in Eket. This project has been fully paid for by NDDC through a contractor who is a loyal party member.

However, to dot the Is and cross the Ts with absolute certainty, we will please require additional support as follows:

1. Additional contigent of security operatives to suppress voters and discourage voter’s turnout in PDP strongholds.
2. Full cooperation by INEC

i.INEC should give us result sheets and other materials ahead of time, preferably two days before the election

ii. Allow us access to uncollected PVCs especially in areas where the PDP still has strong presence

iii. Create additional 382 polling stations for ease of using uncollected PVCs

iv. In challenging cases, cancellation of elections/results in areas where the PDP would want to muster strength in order to enhance the position of the party.

May  I reiterate that we are committed and determined to capture the state at all cost: no blood will be spared.

Permit me to reaffirm the assurances of our highest esteem.

Yours sincerely,

His Excellency

Senator (Dr) Godswill Akpabio, CON.

However, the letter has been described as “fake and forged”.

Anietie Ekong, special assistant (media) to Godswill Akpabio, has issued the following rebuttal, which he shared with TheCable.

Re: Gratitude for your marvelous support to Akwa Ibom APC

The attention of the former Senate Minority Leader and Senator representing Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON has been drawn to a forged letter purportedly written by him to the Chief of Staff to the President titled: “Gratitude for your marvelous support to Akwa Ibom APC” and making the rounds in the social media.

We wish to state categorically that the letter never emanated from the Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio. It is a poorly crafted piece of forgery and the figment of the imagination of the authors.

A cursory look at the letter reveals the fakeness of the contents. For instance, the complimentary closing line reads, “Yours sincerely” and “Yours faithfully” in one letter!

With an imminent defeat in the coming polls, we have always known that desperate politicians will be up to some tricks to gain some political mileage, but we never imagined they could go to the extent of committing forgery just to malign an opponent.

Fortunately, the perpetrators are not ghosts. We have alerted security agencies to be on the look out for those who have either published or shared the sham document for an invitation to shed more light on its source. 

Once again, we wish to assure the teeming supporters of Senator Godswill Akpabio and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State and beyond to remain focused, steadfast and unshaken in their commitment to resoundingly vote for President Muhammadu Buhari and all candidates of the party in the coming elections. 

According to the immortal words of the great Spanish writer, Miguel de Cervantes, “truth will rise above falsehood as oil above water.”