Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State is said to have begun a fresh hunt for a credible candidate from the Eket Senatorial District who would take over the reins of leadership of the oil-rich Akwa Ibom State as governor in 2015.
Those who are privy to the governor’s plans squealed to us that Chief Akpabio has secretly endorsed Mr. Michael Sebastian as his Plan B candidate in the event that his well-advertised plan to install the current Secretary to the Government, Udom Emmanuel, fails to sail through owing to the groundswell of opposition against the candidacy of Mr. Emmanuel.
Michael Sebastian, according to our sources, is a geologist and businessman and hails from the Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. He is an in-law of the Akpabios having been married to the governor’s cousin for many years. He is from the favoured Eket Senatorial District.
The choice of Sebastian as a fall back candidate was said to have been very carefully calculated by the governor as it could help to dilute the influence of Mr. Nsima Ekere, an indigene of Abak and Governor Akpabio’s former deputy who was removed in controversial circumstances. Ekere, a close friend of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state is vying for the governorship of Akwa Ibom State and is believed to wield a lot of influences in his native Abak Local Government.
Meanwhile, the renewed effort of the governor is said to have stemmed from the overwhelming rejection of the current Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Udom Emmanuel by stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party and the electorate, who are said to have vowed to vote against the PDP should the governor insist on foisting Udom on them. Udom, is widely believed to be the governor’s business partner who may turn out a mere figure head if voted as governor.
Owing to what insiders call the “Udom reality”, Governor Akpabio has toyed with the idea of a perfect plan B candidate who would be more acceptable to stakeholders for some time now. A few months back, there were rumours of a secret endorsement of Benjamin Okoko by Governor Akpabio as his alternative candidate, but it would appear that the governor has withdrawn his support for Okoko, after setting up a campaign office and buying several Hilux vans for the eventual flag-off of Okoko’s gubernatorial campaign.
Benjamin Okoko, a quantity surveyor from Ikot Abasi is a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary and erstwhile Works Commissioner in Akwa Ibom state. He is said to be very well grounded in politics, which perhaps, explains Akpabio’s discomfort about putting him forward as his candidate of choice.
As the battle for the Akwa Ibom Hill Top Mansion rages on, TheOracleNaija will continue to keep you posted about the epic drama that the governorship election promises to be.
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