Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, the Akwa Ibom State governor may have been
barred from the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, over what insiders refer
to as his “poor comportment and misbehaviour” inside the seat of the
Nigerian federal government.
During a recent visit to the Aso
Rock Villa, the governor of the oil-rich state and Chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum was, during a recent
visit to the Aso Rock Villa, said to have distributed large sums of
dollars to security men and presidential aides who were on duty inside
the Villa, which got to the ears of the President.
Governor
Akpabio’s seemingly corrupt influences may have prompted the decision of
President Goodluck Jonathan, to bar him from the villa.
Akpabio
is said to be in the corrupt habit of sharing thousands of dollars to
staff of the presidential villa during his visits.
So much so
that staff of the villa always looks forward to his visit and sometimes,
hang around the premises even when they would have completed their
shift in anticipation of Akpabio’s dollar rain!
Akpabio recently paid another unscheduled visit to Aso Rock unaware of the President’s stance over his reckless behavior.
He
was therefore expecting the usual red carpet reception from the staff,
but to his shock was denied entry and had to turn back with his
entourage in shame.
Acting on “orders from above” the security
details refused to open the gate for him and asked him instead to go
back to avoid further embarrassment.
It was rude shock when the governor attempted to speak with the Nigerian First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan over the issue.
The
First Lady, in her characteristic bluntness told Akpabio who has made
Abuja his second home to go back to Uyo and exercise his mandate of
governing Akwa Ibom state instead of turning himself into a nuisance in
Abuja.
Godswill Akpabio has lately acquired the reputation of an
“unserious governor” who is always giving away hefty sums of state
resources for flimsy reasons.
The governor’s sponsorship of
singer Tuface Idibia’s marriage to Annie Macauley, an indigene of Akwa
Ibom state in faraway Dubai also earned him the nickname of “Donatus”.
Akpabio’s
gift of N50 million to Nollywood among several other donations, in the
recent past, seems not to have gone down well with some indigenes of the
state who are wallowing in poverty over unpaid salary.
Akpabio
has also been accused by the residents of Uyo of abandoning Akwa Ibom
state, a state he fought so hard to govern especially during his
campaign for re-election for Abuja, where he is said to be operating
from.
“Our Governor now lives in Abuja and does not seem to care
about whatever happens here. He only parachutes in to commission
projects or declare open seminars and workshops and thereafter goes back
to Abuja”, said a senior party official who would not want his name in
print.
Akpabio’s very frequent visits to the Presidential villa
and his unruly behaviour were said to be giving President Goodluck
Jonathan some serious concerns, and may have informed Jonathan’s
decision to restrict his visit to the Villa. Akpabio, a PDP poster boy
is for now at some crossroads over the turn of events.
