Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has called on party members in the state to remain united and be obedient to court orders on the chairmanship of the party in the state.
This was as he lauded the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for upholding the principle of the rule of law in the running of the party.
Akpabio said this during a courtesy visit to the national chairman of the party in his office in Abuja, saying he was there to formally congratulate him on his emergence as the party chairman.
The minister, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Jackson Udom, “I am also here to thank the national leadership of our dear party for leading a law-abiding party through adherance and obedience to judicial pronouncements as it affects the chairmanship position of the party in Akwa Ibom State.”
The former governor of Akwa Ibom State noted: “The court had given the chairmanship and the leadership of the party in the state to an individual and, when a matter is in court, as a lawyer, it is subjudice for someone to comment on it.
“I am not ready to join issues with my brother, Chief Don Etiebet, who is one of the stakeholders in the party, on the issue of who is chairman or who is not.
“I don’t also want to go into the merits and demerits of who won and who didn’t win. But we will continue to abide by the court orders.”
Akpabio said: “It is public knowledge that the Court of Appeal had already dismissed the earlier appeal brought by the party.
“The APC had withdrawn from all appeals in respect of Akwa Ibom State and the NWC has enjoined us all, as leaders, to go home and ensure peace and that is why I am discussing with my brother, Chief Etiebet, now.
“So, the question of somebody was sworn in and somebody was not does not arise here because the court had made pronouncement on it.”
On status quo, Akpabio said: “We must not forget the fact that you have another opportunity in a democracy to ventilate your thoughts. If you feel that you were not carried along, you go to court and the court says maintain status quo.
“Let me tell you the meaning of status quo. The court judgement delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo at the High Court in Abuja gave a consequential order.
“The consequential order means go and swear in the new chairman and because the APC as a party to the case had withdrawn from that appeal, the status quo must be maintained which means, swear in and obey the court order. And the party has done that and it is not interested in any appeal.”
Akpabio appealed to Etiebet and others to accept the verdict of the court and the advise of the APC NWC, saying: “I want to urge my leader and other stakeholders to let us go home as leaders and abide by the party’s decision to ensure harmony and peace. It is not something for us to wash our dirty linen in the public.
“I believe strongly that in any democracy, it is all about jaw-jaw. We have to talk in order to succeed because, none of us here can be state chairman.
“Whoever is the state chairman is to lead us and lead us to victory and that is the most important thing. We must also make sure that we don’t misinterpret court orders.”
