TheCable

Godswill Akpabio, the governor of Akwa Ibom state and chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors’ forum, says Nigeria “cannot be handed over to the Aggrieved Peoples Congress (APC), which he labelled a party of disgruntled politicians.

Akpabio, who was speaking at the Tafawa Balewa Sqaure, Lagos, during the flag-off of President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 election campaign, also denied the allegation that N55 billion was missing from Nigeria’s Exces Crude Account (ECA).

Instead, he said that but for the dwindling economic situation owing to the falling crude oil prices, the money would have been intact.

Akpabio said governors advised the president to share the money among all the tiers of government.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has been very critical of the current administration in recent times, had lamented that the crude account had been depleted.

“I left a very huge reserve after we had paid all our debts. Almost $25billion we kept in what they called excess crude. The excess from the budget we were saving as reserve for the rainy days. When we left in May 2007, the reserve was said to have been raised to $35billion,” he lamented.

“I heard that the reserve increased to almost $67 billion before the end of the year. Our reserve now, learnt is left with around only $30billion.”

Referring to the allegation as mere propaganda, Akpabio urged Nigerians to vote massively for the PDP and also strive to defend their vote.

“We governors here were the ones who told the president that our children are crying because of the bad economy due to dwindling oil prices,” he said.

“We cannot say we are saving money when people are hungry. You cannot save money when your child is in the hospital; if your child dies, you are a fool; am I right? So people are talking about N55billion. The money was shared among the three tiers of government for the use of all Nigerians.

“No money is missing; do not listen to any propaganda.”

Akpabio, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues in the party, accused PDP governors who did not attend the ceremony of having an ulterior motive.

There is a form of disagreement in the ruling party, as nine governors were absent at the inauguration of the presidential campaign organisation in Abuja on Tuesday.

Reacting to the development, Akpabio said the affected PDP governors were only bent on achieving their selfish interests. He accused them of having an unholy alliance with the opposition party, which he branded “a gathering of aggrieved politicians”.

“Any of the PDP governors who is not here today is absent because of his selfish interest and such persons want to take your seat and because they did not succeed they decided to join the aggrieved peoples congress,” he said.

“That is what APC is. APC is aggrieved people congress and we cannot afford to hand over Nigeria to aggrieved people.

“We cannot afford to hand over leadership to people who are bitter. We cannot afford to hand over this country to people who have disappointed in the past and are bitter against their brothers. Are you ready to go back to prison? Some of you, your fathers were sentenced to 310 years in prison for crimes that they did not commit.

“I know someone like Jim Nwobodo, who was then the governor of Anambra state was given 310 years in prison sentence. The same people who were terrorising democrats and locking them up are now presenting themselves as democrats. Can a leopard change its spot?”