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Some groups in the Niger Delta region have rejected at a statement credited to the former minister of Petroleum Don Etiebet, describing it as “unfortunate for a man of his pedigree.”
Etiebet, a former minister of Petroleum and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State, Don Etiebet, had reportedly frowned at the judgement of the Supreme Court, which affirmed Senator Godswill Akpabio as the All Progressives Congress candidate for Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District.
The group which met in Port Harcourt, after a heated congress, told news men that the statement was unbecoming of a man that “brought nothing to Akwa Ibom State during his time as a Minister of Petroleum not to talk of when he was the national chairman of the All Peoples Party (APC).”
They said the statement, “coming from Don Etiebet, is capable of throwing the party and Akwa Ibom State into crisis,” and called on well-meaning Akwa Ibom elders to call the former minister to order.
The groups, comprising of the Patriotic Forum of Niger Delta (PAFOND), Akwa Ibom Progressive Community (AIPC) and Uforo Akwa Ibom (UK), in a statement signed by the national chairman, Comrade Owo Udoh and chief of staff, Apostle John Amaowoh, condemned the statement by Don Etiebet “in its entirety,” adding that “what the apex court did on Friday by its unanimous judgment was based on evidences before the court, and not on sentiments.
“We cannot tell the angle the ex-petroleum minister is coming from. As true Akaw Ibomites, we don’t insult our elders. But, Sir Etiebet should forget sentiments and tribalism, and join hands to vote Senator Godswin Akpabio,” the group pleaded.
They also called on the former minister “to see his position as an elder and not to play politics of bitterness as he is currently displaying in Akwa Ibom State.
“We have been watching and reading Don Etiebet’s statement carefully. Sometimes, we have been tempted to react, but in our culture, we have respect for our elders not to criticize them openly.
“As a body, we are pleading with the ex-minister to have a rethink and join hands with senator Akpabio, because of the huge dividend it will bring to the senatorial district and Akwa Ibom State in general.
“If the former minister is now crying of being marginalized and losing focus on the reality, what then should be talk from the people of Ikono and Ini local government areas, who are equally brothers in the struggle for justice and fairness in the running of things in the senatorial district?
“The former minister, instead of playing against the collective wishes of the people, should play an active role by using the option of dialogue and justifiable means of resolving the issue rather than taking sides,” they said.
