This is what premium times gathered;
An estranged political godson to Governor
Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, Onofiok
Luke, has begged the governor for
forgiveness.
Mr. Luke, a serving member of the Akwa Ibom
State House of Assembly representing Nsit
Ubium state constituency, had in the past
attacked Mr. Akpabio for allegedly maligning
Ibibio people in the state.
In an open letter titled, “At a Time like This,”
the lawmaker had lambasted the governor
over some of his (Mr. Akpabio) policies he
said were detrimental to Ibibios, the majority
ethnic group in the state.
Ostensibly embarrassed by the lawmaker’s
audacity to challenge him, Mr. Akpabio and
his wife, Unoma, those familiar with the
matter said, vowed never to allow Mr. Luke
get a second term.
Associates of Governor Akpabio told PREMIUM
TIMES that in the bid to block him from
securing a second term ticket, the Akpabios
allegedly sponsored another aspirant, Solomon
Ekokoi, to challenge Mr. Luke at the PDP
primary.
However, in a rare stroke of luck, Mr. Luke,
who is a former President of the National
Association of Nigerian Students, NANS,
defeated the first family’s anointed candidate
and clinched a ticket to return to the House.
Mr. Luke’s success at the primary, our sources
said, dealt a devastating blow on Mr. Akpabio
and his wife, who immediately launched a
fresh plot to retrieve the ticket from the
“stubborn lawmaker”.
The Akpabios, we learnt, subsequently
insisted on having Mr. Luke tender an
unreserved apology to them while also
recanting some of the accusations he levelled
against them in the past.
Unwilling to forfeit the ticket, Mr. Luke, on
Thursday, published an apology in one of the
local tabloids in the state, begging the
governor to forgive his many transgressions.
“It is common knowledge that since 2002 I
have enjoyed a very deep and beneficial
father-son relationship with Your
Excellency.,” Mr. Luke said in his apology
letter.
“However, in the last one year, that
relationship of 12 years has suffered seriously
due to actions and inactions attributed to me.”
“As a political son, I hereby take responsibility
for the comments, unfavourable words,
positions, ideas and ideology espoused by me
which may have contradicted Your
Excellency’s disposition.”
Mr. Luke continued, “I apologise for the
harmful toll which these may have caused
Your Excellency. Specifically, I apologise for
the use of the phrase, ‘admonish the
Governor’, in my open letter to Akwa Ibom
people, entitled, ‘At a time like This’.
As a
younger person, I can’t admonish an elder in
our culture. All these are sincerely regretted.”
PREMIUM TIMES however learnt that even
after apologising, the Akpabios are reluctant
to forgive the Nsit Ubium lawmaker, a
development that has prompted prominent
politicians in the state to intervene.
It took the intervention of party elders and
stalwarts from the area to halt the planned
cancellation and subsequent re-run of the
House of Assembly primary in Nsit Ubium
state constituency of the state.
Mr. Luke could not be reached to comment for
this story. Calls to his known mobile
telephone line failed to connect. So also is the
governor’s spokesperson, Aniekan Umanah,
who also is the state commissioner for
information.
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