Minister, Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has described as laughable, media report that he attempted compromising members of the Akwa Ibom State Congress Committee, saying,” it is laughable and a figment of the imagination of the sponsors, purveyors and supporters of lies and falsehood.”
The Minister’s reaction was contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Jackson Udom and made available to newsmen in Abuja.
The statement reads: “Then attention of the Hon. Minister Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio has yet been drawn to another fabricated and maliciously written news item, by a highly compromised online media platform; CitizensWatch, alleging that the Hon Minister was seen making desperate move to bribe the Akwa Ibom State, All Progressives’ Congress (APC) Congress Committee Members.
“This is laughable and a lie fabricated from the pit of hell which must not be taken seriously by any human being.
“From the headlines of the story, one could easily sense yellow journalism in play, as all the story contents are laced with lies and falsehood from the opening paragraph to the last.
“Ordinarily, the Hon Minister, who is currently committed to achieving President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate in the Niger Delta Region, wouldn’t have dignified the baseless publication with a response, but because this is an election year, wherein, faceless politicians would attempt to smear the integrity and attempt to malign the good names of those they perceive as their political rivals, and for the innocent public to know the truth from concocted lies, hence this response.
“For the information of the purveyors and backers of this mischief and falsehood, the last time the Hon Minister paid a private visit to Lagos was a forth night ago. We challenge this faceless and highly compromised publisher and his pay masters to avail the members of the public, pictures and video clips of where the Hon Minister stayed and the people he met while making the alleged move to compromise the APC Congress Committee Members.
“The Hon Minister, from records which is also in the public domain, does not belong to any faction of the party in the state. To demonstrate his non-committal to any faction, he personally attended the parallel congresses organized by the two factions, where he pleaded and preached peace and unity among party members, as according to him, “no one group could do it alone”.
“At the said congresses, he reiterated his commitment to the speedy resolution of the impasse, in the shortest possible time, and this, he is totally committed to achieving.
“As a party member, the Hon Minister, has not, in whatever form initiated any legal challenge on the outcome of the factionalised state Congress of the party. He is still working with like minds within the party to bring about unity and oneness before the party’s National Convention next month.
“It is, therefore, preposterous and insulting to right-thinking members of the public and particularly party members for anyone with his right frame of mind to accuse the Hon. Minister of attempting to bribe party members for what he is not involved in.
“Finally, members of the public and party members are by this statement, advised to disregard and see such news as a figment of the imagination of the sponsors, purveyors and backers of the fake news.”
