Breaking: Akpabio’s withdrawal from Senate race is fake news – Tafida
A close associate of Senator Godswill Akpabio, Dr. Jibril Tafida has refuted the rumour that the former Minister might have withdrawn from the ongoing race for Senate Presidency.
Speaking to newsmen in Kaduna on Monday, Dr. Tafida said Akpabio is still very much in the race as a frontline contender.
It would be recalled that National Vanguard newspaper has reported few days ago that Akpabio might be withdrawing from race for the Senate Presidency in anticipation of a ministerial appointment in the new APC cabinet
He noted that the former Minister for Niger Delta Affairs had earlier solicited for the support and cooperation of party leadership, that of his immediate constituency, the nod of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu; civil society and respected political pressure groups across the nation.
“In this kind of race for the Senate Presidency, where Akpabio has gained increased popularity, it is expected that mischief-makers would like to concoct all sorts of fake news in order to divert the attention of Nigerians, especially those fully in support of Akpabio’s candidature”, Dr. Tafida argued.
He explained that Akpabio’s active participation in the race “is cast in stone, and no amount of deliberate distortion in the media by hacks can change that.”
Dr. Tafida said that “the massive, growing acceptability of Akpabio’s candidature is an indication that he is, once again, favored by history. None of the candidates currently in this race has unique leadership experience and identity of uncommon transformation”.
Turning to the issue of campaign for the emergence of a Senate President from the Southeast, Tafida said “Akpabio’s South-south region gave more votes that led to the victory of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC got zero votes from the Southeast, a place now known more as a territory of violent groups like IPOB and ESN”.
