Tony Anichebe 
The Akwa Ibom State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari over the choice of Mr. Iboro Akpabio, as an ambassador-designate from the state. This was as the party said Iboro was not known to the state chapter of the APC and may not be an indigene of Akwa Ibom State in the first instance.
In a statement signed by the state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Nkereuwem Enyongekere, the party frowned at President Buhari’s style of appointments from the state without recourse to the leadership of the party in the state. Enyongekere, however, described as ‘extraneous’ the appointments by the Federal Government, which does not favour members of the party, saying the attitude of the Presidency as regards federal appointments could stall the party’s chances of making any impact in the state in the 2023 elections.
The statement, therefore, urged President Buhari to reward genuine members of the party in Akwa Ibom State, who had sacrificed their time and resources for the party. The party’s spokesman, however, said that the chairman of the party, Ini Okopido had petitioned the presidency on the issue, where he lamented that the President had yet to learn from the mistakes of his first term.
“The state chapter of the party had expected to benefit in the secondterm from the robust relationship of 2019 general elections and for obvious reasons that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will learn from the mistakes of his first term, but unfortunately every new appointment from Akwa Ibom State has been so nervewracking and disquieting to the members of APC in the state, thus weakening the threshold of our party in the state as genuine members, who sacrificed their useful resources are completely cheated out.
“The letter underscored among such political appointments, the choice of Mr. Oboro Effiong Akpabio, Ambassador designate, as one of the persons the party is not very sure if he is from the state as he is unknown to the party and its members.
