The PDP defended the Akwa Ibom Governor.
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party has defended the high-spending Governor ofAkwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, saying he is not a spendthrift as accused by observers, but a ‘kind hearted’ person.
The Akwa Ibom Governor has been criticised by residents of his state and civil society groups for his seemingly extravagant donations largely to people who are already wealthy. Some of the spending of the governor that have been condemned include his decision to use state funds to sponsor 20 people to the wedding of Nigerian singer and multi-millionaire, 2face Idibia, in Dubai; and his decision to donate a brand new SUV to the couple. Others include the purchase of bullet proof customized cars at exorbitant rates and unsolicited donation to PDP leaders.
He also recently donated N230 million on behalf of PDP Governors at a program for Otuoke, President Goodluck Jonathan’s hometown in Bayelsa; while many of the governors, who are having problems paying their workers’ salaries, said they were not consulted before the donation was made.
Mr. Akpabio’s critics accuse him of extravagance despite being unable to promptly pay workers salaries and the level of poverty in Akwa Ibom. The governor’s party, the PDP, however, said there is nothing g wrong in the way the governor spends money.
“These spin doctors have continued to portray Akpabio’s genuine benevolence and kind heartedness in bad light, all in a desperate attempt to disparage him and cause a division in the PDP Governors’ Forum,” the PDP spokesperson, Olisa Metuh, said in a statement on Saturday.
