2019: What Akpabio’s defection did to PDP – Essien

A former Minister of Lands and Housing, Chief Nduese Essien has
admitted that the recent defection of Senator Godswill Akpbabio from
the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress,
APC reduced the strength of the PDP.

He, however, said the former governor's action will not affect the
victory of the state governor and the PDP in 2019, adding that Akpabio
only left with few supporters.

The former Minister told Vanguard that the former governor and Senate
Minority Leader erred in his defection to the APC.

Essien, who is the political leader of the Eket Senatorial District
said, "What I can say is that the incumbent governor is sure to win
election because Akwa Ibom has always been a PDP state for 19 years
now.

"The exit of the former governor of the party has only altered the
strength of the party in the state minimally because at the time he
left the party, his influence and popularity had waned.

"In the past 18 months people in the state had become disenchanted
with his leadership role in the Senate. He was no longer the vocal
politician that we knew. He was not playing a pivotal role as senate
minority leader.

"People would become doubtful of the strength of his character as a
leader, that is why most of his supporters could not go with him to
his new political abode.

"His entry into his new abode is going to destabilize the place,
because he is going to meet the very people who ran away from him.

"The APC in Akwa Ibom is populated by people who were avoiding him and
so his going to join them there is going to be marriage of strange
bedfellows.

"A lot of them have indicated individual intention to abandon the
party for him and return to the PDP."