2023: Akpabio resigns, denies withdrawal from presidential race

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, has resigned.

This is coming barely some hours after President Muhammadu Buhari directed all cabinet members vying for elective offices in 2023 to resign before May 16, 2023.

The resignation of Akpabio was made known via a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Jackson Udom, a copy of which was made available to The Star on Wednesday.

The minister, however, denied the reports making the rounds that he has withdrawn from the 2023 presidential race, noting that he would soon submit his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to the All Progressives Congress (APC)

The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to mischievously written news stories making the rounds by paid agents of some politicians, that the leading presidential aspirant, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has purportedly withdrawn from the presidential race. This is a joke carried too far.

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“This is certainly the handiwork of those who are scared of contesting against Senator Godswill Akpabio.

“Senator Akpabio has resigned his appointment as Minister, Niger Delta Affairs Ministry and will soon submit his nomination forms at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, in line with his party’s guidelines.

“For those behind this lies and falsehood, we advise that they should learn to live with the reality, that Senator Akpabio is fully in the race, not only for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket, but to emerge the next democratically elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The Star