A legal Adviser to the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Godwin Umoh, on Wednesday chided Senator Godswill Akpabio over claims that he moved and not defected to the All Progressives Congress, saying that such claim was strange to law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the constitution of the party (PDP).
The former Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, through his lead counsel, Sunday Ameh, had told a Federal High Court in Abuja that he was suspended and expelled by the Peoples Democratic Party in a suit seeking his removal and that of 53 other members of the National Assembly.
Akpabio told Justice Okon Abang that his ‘movement’ into APC was as a result of ‘an uncommon’ situation within the PDP, which compelled him to opt to the All Progressives Congress as an alternative party to actualise his political interest.
Akpabio’s counsel tendered two exhibits before Justice Abang, which included a suspension letter from the PDP and letter of an expulsion from the party at the local government level.
However, Umoh in his reaction said it was ludicrous for Akpabio to turn and claim that he did not defect but only moved when the media was inundated with news of his defection.
According to him, “Movement is unknown to law, unknown to the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria, and unknown to the party constitution. What we know is defection and that is exactly what he did.
“In doing so, he wrote a letter to the party that he was not willing to be there again, that he was defecting, I don’t have a copy of the letter but it was on the social media, in the news and everybody saw the letter and for the distinguished senator to talk of movement today is unfortunate.
“The former Minority Leaders had also claimed that PDP was flooding as at the time of his defection.
“If he is talking about flooding in terms of water I might not be in a position to respond because I don’t stay there, but if it is political flooding it is faulty for anybody to say so.
“After the Modu Sheriff incident, the PDP as a party became stronger and stronger than any party, so, for anyone to say there was flood or there was a problem obviously I am unable to understand because at that time I had always attended meetings of the leadership of the party in Ikot-Ekpene senatorial district, there was nothing like that.”
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