APC state chairmen say Akpabio’s a ‘clog in the wheel of progress’, tell Buhari to sack him

State chairmen of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) have described the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio as a ‘clog in the wheel of progress’ and asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack him without delay.

The chairmen were reacting to the minister’s setting up of an Interim Management Committee for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), not minding the fact that Buhari only just appointed a substantive board for the commission.

In a statement signed by their chairman and secretary, Ali Bukar Dolari and Ben Nwoye, respectively, the APC states chairmen, said the action of the new minister was a national embarrassment.

The statement read, “We see the minister (Akpabio) as a clog in the wheel of progress. He has a vested interest to annex the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as a unit of the Niger Delta Ministry where he is the Minister.

“We query the rationale behind Akpabio’s hastened moves to impose an illegal Interim Management Committee in breach of the NDDC act.

“What does Akpabio intend to achieve by hurriedly appointing the committee whereas, he Akpabio is aware of President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of a substantive board who are currently undergoing confirmation screening by the Senate?

“We view a situation where a Minister exhibits crass insubordination to the office and person of the President, who appointed him as a minister, as a national embarrassment.

“We are irked by the conflicting orders one exercised by the President and Commander in Chief who effectively discharged his powers in accordance with the provisions of section 2(2)(a) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) ( Establishment) Act, 2000 by appointing eminent Nigerians into the governing board of the NDDC as read by the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan in plenary only for Godswill Akpabio to appear on national television in the evening of the same day to announce a three-man committee to run the affairs of the NDDC which President Buhari had earlier appointed qualified Nigerians to oversee via his executive communication to the Senate seeking for confirmation of the nominees.

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“We call on the President to sack Senator Godswill Akpabio without delay before he causes more embarrassment to this government and maligns his hard-earned reputation with his uncommon illegalities.

“We call on President Buhari to reverse the order delegating his statutory regulatory powers of the NDDC to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. The Minister’s conduct so far show that the NDDC under the supervision of the Ministry will be counter-productive as such, the supervision of the NDDC should be returned back to the Presidency as it was before now.”

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