Senator Akpan is criticized by Gov. Emmanuel’s aide for his charges of repression

Senator Akpan is criticized by Gov. Emmanuel’s aide for his charges of repression. Bassey Akpan, the senator for Akwa Ibom North East, has been confronted by Rev. Richard Peters, the governor’s special assistant on media, over charges that he has been silenced by the governor and his handlers.

He cautioned that the majority of the claims made by the senator, who is also the Young Progressive Party’s (YPP) candidate for governor, might ignite the state since they were incendiary and inflammatory.

It was learned that Akpan said in a social media interview moderated by John Ekong that the governor of Akwa Ibom State was stalking him and his followers because he wanted to succeed him in 2023.

The senator claimed he resigned for Gov. Emmanuel in 2014, supported him when he ran for re-election in 2018, and had anticipated the governor to reciprocate today, but the situation is the opposite.

He declared, “I resigned for the present governor in 2014, and I supported him in 2018 when he ran for reelection. Although I was the lone senator to support the governor, I am currently being sought after in Akwa Ibom. I have to make a lot of sacrifices in order to fight for the liberation of my people. You must never again have a state where the government has created such division. Today, nobody in the state waves at me or comes to my house without getting caught. Threats to punish or publicly disgrace me are made, but in order to win freedom, we must face these together. You cannot use hunger as a weapon in the war against the people; Akwa Ibom must be free.

However, in a rapid response, the Governor’s Aide criticized Akpan’s comments as reckless, provocative, and extremely regrettable while also advising the senator to focus his energies on promoting his campaign platform rather than playing the victim.

The Senator, he said, is determined to discredit the governor in order to win over the public.

“The Senator seems to have run out of campaign ideas and tactics. He is now determined to discredit the governor and the state, using incendiary remarks to win over the populace. He started conducting his campaign using vulgar language over time, as we all heard when he went to Eket for a rally and coined the now well-known “who born dog” and “cultist for Christ” catchphrases.

Rev. Peters asserted that he had previously formally reported the incident to the police and that paradoxically, it was Senator Akpan’s followers that intimidated others, including himself.

In his own words, “His alleged supporters have repeatedly written and contacted me, severely advising me to avoid campaigning for my preferred candidate or risk being killed. I formally reported the incident to the police commissioner. Who is now in need of power, we must ask?

“The people of Akwa Ibom State are reading between the lines and are aware of what each politician’s true objectives are. The governor made the state quiet and created a conducive climate for everyone to freely participate in all legal groups and meetings, and the senator ought to have been quite appreciative of that. Because he was elected to bring about democracy’s benefits rather than to offer justifications, the governor is very forgiving and barely bothered by those who want to overthrow his administration.

He emphasized that “the Senator has done so much to drive the governor off course through a number of baseless allegations, open extortion, pointless legal battles, and the unfounded assertion that he was guaranteed to be named a governor in 2023 without giving any document which had the agreement.”

Reverend Peters asked the populace to exercise caution and an open mind when observing events since individuals who stir up such feelings may come up with unpleasant surprises that may not sit well with the populace.

“His campaign strategy of microzoning of governorship and power rotating to his area Itu/Ibiono federal constituency in 2023 is another lie from the pit of hell, governorship since the return of democracy in our state in 1999 is done strictly on senatorial district, and the PDP is strictly adhering to this agreement,” he continued.