How Ali Modu Sheriff, Bank MD warned me against picking Udom as my successor -Akpabio ••••Betrayal, they told me, is in his DNA

By Abasiakan Udom

Almost five years after installing the current governor of Akwa Ibom State, Deacon Udom Emmanuel, as his successor, the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs,  Godswill Akpabio, has opened up on the various advise against his choice in the 2015 governorship election, which he ignored.

Speaking with a select group of Akwa Ibom based media practitioners in his Ukana residence, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State said ” the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff,  was in the state to receive a PhD Honoris Causa Degree from the University of Uyo, and as soon as he heard of my plans to make Udom Emmanuel my successor,  he shouted, no, no, no.

The man (Udom Emmanuel) was standing very close to us and he greeted Sheriff with “His Excellency” and Sheriff replied, no, no, no. ‘Don’t Excellency me.

‘These people from the so called Corporate World, look down on the rest of us who are politicians. When they have the opportunity, they abandon us.Your supporters will be abandoned. He will go and bring all sorts of people and they will start insulting you. I have a practical experience. My successor was one of them”

Speaking further,  the former Senate Minority Leader disclosed that, ” when I was leaving government in 2015 and I had made up my mind on Udom Emmanuel as my successor, someone, who knows the then would be governor met me at the airport. The person was also a Managing Director of a Bank. He strongly advised me against Udom Emmanuel. He said, please don’t try it. I am in the same industry with him. Don’t try it, because I can assure you that you will regret it. And I told him that the man (Udom) was hearing you,  let’s go outside and talk, and he said, no,no,no, you will regret it”.

True to his predictions, Akpabio stated, ” it didn’t take long, when the person came to me, even when I never knew he had started fighting me and said, Didn’t I tell you?