January 04, (THEWILL) – Aide to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State on media, Rev. Richard Peters, has described the recent allegations on social media that governor Emmanuel gave an order, disallowing Senator Akpabio’s wife, Unoma, into the government house, as cheap blackmail and an attempt by the peddler of such to gain cheap publicity.
THEWILL reports that the speculation originated from a post by Ata Ikiddeh, a former aide to former governor of the state, Godswill Akpabio, a lawyer, who published on his Facebook page, a claim that Mrs Unoma Akpabio was denied entrance to the Government House, Uyo, on the orders of Gov. Emmanuel.
According to his publication, the event played out when Mrs Unoma Akpabio came to the government house to deliver a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari to Gov. Emmanuel.
The letter, according to him, contained the president’s communication to the governor on his (Buhari) decisions on police reforms and other demands of the Nigerian youths during the EndSARS protests, for onward dissemination to residents in the state, adding that similar letter was sent to other governors.
But Udom’s media Aide, Peters, in a press conference Tuesday, said Ikiddeh’s belated outburst “Was just to seek attention and publicity after years of being politically irrelevant.”
According to him, “On the article from Ata Ikiddeh, a former aide to Akpabio on project monitoring, where he claimed that wife of former governor, Mrs Unoma Akpabio, was not allowed entrance to the Government House, Uyo, on the orders of Gov. Emmanuel. He is simply seeking publicity after years of being politically irrelevant.
“This is laughable. There is no truth in the article, as the Udom Emmanuel we all know would never stoop so low to do that.
Gov Emmanuel does not keep malice. He flows with everyone. For instance, Mr Umana Umana is of the opposition APC, but have a good relationship with Gov Emmanuel, who is a member of the PDP. There are others like that from the opposition APC, who go to the government house and meet with the governor, and Unoma Akpabio would not have been an exception.”
The Aide noted that Akpabio, then the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, was meant to personally present the letter to Governor Emmanuel, but he delegated the responsibility to his wife, just to treat the governor in disdain.
“Besides, the letter in question was to be delivered by the ministers to their respective governors, and liaise on how to address the security situation in the country as at then. All other ministers delivered theirs by themselves. Even Rotimi Amaechi went to Rivers state government house to deliver his.
“That on its own shows respect to the office of the governor. Akpabio sent his wife, who was not a minister, in direct breach of the president’s directives. But that is not a subject of focus today.
“It is worthy of note that Akpabio chose to send his wife simply to ridicule Gov. Udom Emmanuel. He deliberately did that in an attempt to humiliate the governor, perhaps to send a clear message that Gov. Emmanuel does not deserve to sit with him . Every right thinking individual who was in Gov. Emmanuel’s shoes would have avoided such meeting.
“Gov. Emmanuel did not in anyway treat Unoma Akpabio disdainfully as painted by Akpabio’s aide. He is not that type. He does not play politics with relationship. The governor was open for talks on how to end the Endsars protest, which was an issue of concern at that time”, Peters concluded.
