As a prelude to his formal defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the representative of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Godswill Akpabio today met with the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
The APC posted a photo of the two politicians during their meeting on their Twitter handle and wrote: “Update: Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio meets APC Leader, Bola Tinubu, in Abuja this afternoon. Both Men are in consultation a day after the PDP Senator met with President Buhari in London ahead of his planned defection to the APC.”
The reason for the visit was yet to be made known to newsmen as of the time of filling this report.
Akpabio, who is the senate minority leader and former two-term governor of Akwa Ibom State, had on Sunday held a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari who is holidaying in London.
Last Thursday too, the senator had a 90-minute with the acting president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja.
It would also be recalled that in June 2016, Akpabio, paid a secret visit to the national leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at his Bourdillon Road residence in Lagos and incurred the verbal wrath his PDP colleagues in the senate who described the visit as “anti-party activities.”
Worried by the report of the visit, the deputy senate president, Mr. Ike Ekweremadu confronted Akpabio.
Akpabio was reported to have dismissed the matter casually, saying he visited Tinubu over some “personal issues.”
The senator whose grand reception into the APC family is slated for Wednesday, August 8 in Ikot Ekpene is seen by the party as a big PDP fish to be caught from the south-south geo-political water.
Reacting to the Akapbio’s cross over to the APC, Buhari’s special assistant on prosecution, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla said: “I believe his coming to the APC will change the fortunes of the APC in Akwa Ibom in particular, and the South-South in general.
It is believed that the senator’s political differences with the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel may be responsible for his defection.
