2023: I'm not contesting for president - Godswill Akpabio

Godswill Akpabio, minister of Niger Delta Affairs, has finally put to rest permutations that he was one of those nursing presidential ambition in 2023.

Akpabio said his major interest as a Minister was to help President Muhammadu Buhari realise the goals of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, especially in ensuring peace in the Niger Delta region.

The former governor of Akwa-Ibom State gave this indication after a closed door meeting with the Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC) of APC in Abuja on Thursday.

He said: “We want to continue to interact with each other, discuss issues and ensure the peace of that region and I can tell you that south-south Nigeria today is one of the peaceful regions in the country and we want to keep it.

“So there is no doubt that my job has not ended, my job is to continue to support Mr President, not just to ensure the completion of his legacy projects, but also to ensure that his projects and legacy leads beyond 2023.”

Akpabio said Nigerians still want APC to continue in government beyond 2023 and that will happen in the forthcoming general election, adding that he was at the party’s headquarters to identify with the new leadership.

“I believe that the new leadership of the party was elected to take APC to victory because Nigerians will want APC to continue beyond 2023 and I believe that is what is going to happen. So that is basically the purpose of my visit.
“I came to the headquarters of our great party to pay my respect to the new leadership of our great party; to pay my solidarity and assure them of our continued support and pray during this Ramadan season and this period of lent that God Almighty will guide them to move our party forward,” Godswill Akpabio said.

On party’s leadership tussle in Akwa-Ibom, the Minister said: “When a matter is in court, it is subjunctive
for somebody to make a conclusion or draw a conclusion or even to comment on it. I happen to be a lawyer so I know that.
“So I will no be able to argue with my major stakeholders in my state and in Nigeria on the issue of who is the chairman or the issue of who is not the chairman, because the matters are still within the purview of the court . But I want to thank the National working Committee of our great party for being law abiding and for adhering to judicial pronouncement.”