Akpabio under fire for ‘disrespecting’ Akwa Ibom governor

The immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, is facing severe criticisms from people in the state for sauntering into a state function in Uyo with his aides and a crowd of followers, while his successor, Udom Emmanuel, was taking a Bible reading.

The incident, seen as a breach of protocol, happened at the Ibom Hall grounds, IBB Avenue, Uyo, on Monday during a state-sponsored religious ceremony – the Akwa Ibom State Annual Solemn Assembly.

There was a temporary disruption of proceedings as the crowd kept on hailing Mr. Akpabio.

Governor Emmanuel paused for some minutes until Mr. Akpabio, who is the Senate Minority Leader, was seated, before he could continue with the Bible reading.

“When Akpabio walked in with his wife and aides, the whole place looked as if it were a political rally,” Franklyn Isong, a newspaper publisher and public affairs commentator in Uyo, told Premium Times.

This act of former Governor Akpabio to always attempt to belittle his successor at public functions has been taken too far to be ignored by sane people,” Mr. Isong wrote in a Facebook post, adding that the senate minority leader should be called to order.
“If he cannot sit at state function(s) before the arrival of Governor Emmanuel, he has the option of joining the governor’s convoy or stay back from such function when the governor is seated.

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