Six days to proclamation, Akpabio battles campaign attacks, denies

Six days ahead proclamation Senator Godswill Akpabio has denied a meltdown in his campaign to be Senate President on the heels of retribution over claims he said were being credited to him as having in the past alleged the National Assembly to be a corrupt body.

Alleging a conspiracy by rivals to derail his campaign by rehearsing what he described as a false attribution to him, Akpabio affirmed on Wednesday that he has continued to maintain the support of the Stability Group.

He claimed that as minister of Niger Delta Affairs that he put down the National Assembly and described the legislative branch as a cesspool of corruption.

He has as such charged those crediting him with the claim to stop adding that no senator has withdrawn support for him as being alleged.

A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Jackson Udom, described the news item as “unfounded, false and a calculated attempt to smear the seamless relationship between the former Minority Leader and his distingushed colleagues who are very much in support of his aspiration. They should stop the propaganda against Senator Akpabio because no Senator has withdrawn his support from him”

The statement read, “as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Senator Akpabio had described the parastatal under his ministry as a cesspool of corruption and NOT the National Assembly.

“He made this remarks whilst justifying the Forensic Audit of the Commission which was ordered by former President Muhammadu Buhari. In fact, he decried a situation where few individuals would corner huge contracts in the agency under the guise of giving them to the lawmakers without the knowledge of the lawmakers.

“There was never a time whether in public or in his closets that he described the National Assembly, which he is a very proud member, as a cesspool of corruption. Those peddling and sponsoring such unfounded allegations are doing so for political gains. Any organized campaign of calumny against Akpabio will surely fail,” the aide said in defending Akpabio from claims of calling the National Assembly as corrupt.