A former Deputy Inspector General of Police and senatorial candidate for Akwa Ibom North-West on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC, Udom Ekpoudom, said his people would chase him out if he attempted to step down for Senator Godswill Akpabio in the 2023 senatorial election.
Ekpoudom spoke on Friday in his office in the wake of insinuations that he had succumbed to pressure by some elders to step down for Senator Akpabio whom he defeated at the Appeal Court where he had been declared as the party’s authentic senatorial candidate.
While debunking the rumour, which he described as laughable, he expressed confidence that he would also defeat Akpabio at the Supreme Court.
The candidate noted that throwing in the towel would be a betrayal of his people who had never had representation at the National Assembly for 16 years.
He said that his ambition was not personal but that it was the people’s project.
According to him: “It’s laughable to say that I stepped down for anyone; some people have been appealing to me to step down, not today, not tomorrow, but I’ve been saying no, and will continue to say no because it is not my project precisely but the people’s project. I don’t want to be chased away from Abak Federal Constituency.
“I don’t want to betray my people. You can even imagine, now, for 16 years, this part of Akwa Ibom has not produced a senator. I look at those coming to tell me to step down as enemies of Abak federal constituency.”
He said further: “Even if they want to offer me head of state, I won’t accept; all I want is to get what belongs to us. If Abak loses now, it would affect the whole federal constituency and senatorial district.”
Ekpoudom also described Senator Akpabio as a desperate politician who had turned deaf ears on the voices of prominent stakeholders including, Don Etiebet who advised him not to contest, adding that he had made himself an enemy of Abak-5 people.
His words:” That is how desperate my brother is, he has the right to do whatever he wants to do. If I were him I wouldn’t go because he has turned himself into the enemy of Abak people and that’s not the best, Don Etiebet is somebody that we respect in Akwa Ibom, if somebody like that talked to him and he didn’t hear who will talk to him and he will hear?” (Newspot)
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