20/10/2025
Press Statement
Pat Ibanga Akpabio's smear campaign against the Senate President: A handshake above the elbow
By Prince Ukpong Akpabio II
Patience it is said is a virtue but there comes a time in life that silence can no longer be golden. This sadly, is one of such moments.
In recent months, the Nigerian public in general and Akwa Ibom public in particular have witnessed the spectacle and public contents from Pat Akpabio, against the person, office and family of His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON, President, Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of the 10th National Assembly and the greater Akpabio Family at large.
Most unfortunate is the fact that these unfortunate and highly regrettable spectacle is coming from a member of the household.
But before I proceed, let me state categorically why I am addressing the press on this matter and why I am in a much better position to address these issues as it concerns the Senate President and why silence on my part will be unpardonable to my conscience and the public.
Unarguably, I was the closest member of the Akpabio's family who served and worked with His Excellency, Godswill Akpabio when he was Governor of Akwa Ibom State. I know who he was, who he is and what he can do and cannot do.
While many other family members came prominently into the picture from May 29, 2007 when he became Governor, I had long been with him and served as his Personal Assistant, PA, right from his days as Commissioner in the Obong Attah led administration before God elevated him to the office of Governor.
By God's grace and the benevolence of His Excellency, Godswill Akpabio, as Governor, I also served as his Personal Assistant (PA) on General Duties from 2007-2011 and as his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on General Duties from 2011-2015. In this capacity, I was in all humility before God, the closest aide or family member to him all through his eight fruitful, impactful, uncommon, historic and superlative years as Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
*The Pat Akpabio melodrama*
Recently, the public especially the social media community have been a witness to a rather unfortunate charade from Pat Akpabio, where she alleged all manner of cruel, abominable, uncharitable and grevious allegations against the Senate President, a man she, and her family, and the Greater Akpabio Family benefitted much from.
There is nothing Pat Akpabio has not called the Senate President.
There is no allegation she has not leveled against the Senate President
There is no threat she has not issued.
But let me state here and now, that there is no family on earth that do not have internal family issues. None. But their issues are always handled in a civilized manner without throwing decency and decorum to the wind.
It is therefore ridiculous and unfortunate to watch Pat Akpabio on several occasion, accuse the Senate President of murder, of not taking care of her and her husband when he was Governor in view of the role they played towards his emergence in 2007, among other false allegations.
This is not only laughable but amusing.
On the allegation of murder by Pat Akpabio, this is the most insane, baseless and spurious of it all. Even when Godswill Akpabio faced one of the most stiff, heated and competitive electoral battle as Governor, violence was never an option much less murder of anybody as he always believed his track record of superlative performance, empowerment, good governance and transformative leadership are enough scorecard the people will always rely on to return him to any office.
Having worked closely with Godswill Akpabio for years, I can attest to the fact that these allegations are false, baseless and in bad faith.
Never has Godswill Akpabio masterminded the killing of anyone since his birth much less his fora into politics.
Come to think of it, as Governor, all major decisions of the government was taken by the inner circle or kitchen cabinet which Ibanga Akpabio was a key and influential member. Is his wife now also alleging that her husband was part of those who murdered people because there was hardly any major decision of the administration from May 29, 2007- May 29, 2015, that was conceived, initiated, implemented, monitored, and evaluated that Ibanga Akpabio was not a part of.
This same propaganda was deployed and massively used during the second term re-election bid of Godswill Akpabio by the opposition, almost all security agencies in the state and country investigated the matter, yet, no single grain of truth was found in it, a testament to the fact that it was, and still is, nothing more than political propaganda.
Except for those who were born post 2015 in Akwa Ibom state, there is NO MEMBER of the Great Akpabio's family that Godswill Akpabio's generosity, benevolence and magnanimity as Governor of Akwa Ibom State did not rub off on all through his eight years in office as Governor of Akwa Ibom State. NONE.
Without doing violence to history, Sir Ibanga Akpabio was a member of not just the Akpabio's inner family circle but a key and very influential member of Akpabio's kitchen cabinet in government with all the access, rights and privileges that accrued to and accompanied those privileged to be in such an exclusive enclave with unquestionable powers and privilege to choose and decide who gets what, how and when from 2007-2015 that Godswill Akpabio was Governor.
How then can one wake up ten years later to accuse His Excellency, Godswill Akpabio of not being benevolent to them when he held sway as Governor?
On her many insults on the person of Her Excellency, Dr Mrs Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, it is pertinent to remind Pat Akpabio that this is a woman who has been the Wife of a former Commissioner, former First Lady of Akwa Ibom State, wife of a former Minister, Wife of a former Senate Minority Leader and today Wife of the Senate President and in addition to the above and most fundamentally and culturally unique, a Senior Wife in the Akpabio's family.
It is therefore an abomination to insult her the way and manner she has done. People must learn to know where to draw the line and some red lines not to cross and her insults on Her Excellency, Dr Mrs Ekaette Unoma Akpabio is totally unacceptable.
His Excellency, Godswill Akpabio is not a saint. None of us is because I am not.
But he is also not the devil that Pat Akpabio wants the public to believe he is.
Under our African Culture, a father cannot be responsible for the total and overall welfare of one individual from birth to eternity. No responsible father takes care of his child forever. There always comes a time a child must grow up and be matured enough to take care of himself or herself, leveraging on the foundation laid for by the father, while the father focuses his love, attention and affection on his grandchildren. This does not mean hatred towards the child. On the contrary, it is the natural law of nature, after all, even the Bible says the "Young Shall Grow".
I hereby use this medium to call on Pat Akpabio to return to sanity and good conscience as the Godswill Akpabio we all know can't be diminished by false propaganda.
I also want to use this medium to call on the general public to disregard all allegations against the Senate President as leveled by Pat Akpabio because they are nothing but false, misleading, and a wrong attempt to rewrite history.
On the allegation of Godswill Akpabio not being trustworthy, let us go back to history.
Prior to the 2007 Governorship election, he contested against the son in-law of a sitting Governor. It could be recalled that the 2007 election primary was one of the most fierced and highly contested primary in the history of Akwa Ibom State. Yet, Akwa Ibom people stood, fought and defended their mandate as entrusted in Godswill Akpabio.
This was a feat he achieved because he built a reservoir of trust with the people from his first appointment as Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Chairman of Mobilisation, Governor Attah's 2003 Governorship Campaign Organisation, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Commissioner for Lands and for eight good unbroken years as Governor, as Senator/Senate Minority Leader, as Minister of Niger Delta and today, by God's grace, again as Senator representing Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District and President, Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON, is first a son, husband, father, uncle, cousin and relative of a family that should be respected in view of his contributions to not just the progress, development, prosperity and empowerment of Pat Akpabio and her family, the Greater Akpabio Family, but Ukana, Essien Udim, Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, Akwa Ibom State, the South South, the Niger Delta and Nigeria.
Let the voice of decency, sanity and reason prevail.
Enough of the blackmail.
Enough of the character assassination.
Enough of the unjust attack on the reputation of a person in the name of politics.
Signed:
Prince Ukpong Akpabio II
Member representing Essien Udim State Constituency
Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly
(C) TheMail Newspaper
