2015 Guber: Bishop Akpan, AKHA Speaker in Secret Talk

2015 Guber: Bishop Akpan, AKHA Speaker in Secret Talk
By Franklyn Isong

If speculations making the rounds in Akwa Ibom State at the weekend is anything to go by, then, the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Elder Sam Ikon, may contest the 2015 governorship poll as a running-mate to the State Deputy Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bishop Sam Akpan.
An aide to Hon. Ikon who pleaded anonymity to this paper hinted that the speaker was presently engaging in some secret talks with the acclaimed founder of the Akwa Ibom Peoples Forum (AKPF) the political group that worked for the emergence of the governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio in 2007.
Our source said that the Speaker was still considering the possibility of the offer being accepted by Akwa Ibom people bearing in mind that he (Ikon) from Etinan Local Government Area, an Ibibio speaking area in Uyo senatorial district, may be difficult to sail through at the poll, noting that Ikon had sought for advise from some of his political associates in the state.
The source further confided that some ranking House of Assembly members, believed to be working for one of the top PDP governorship hopeful in the state who were monitoring the events as things unfold, have tried to dissuade the speaker from accepting the plum offer. They were said to be persuading him to channel his resources and support to either their candidate or a member of the House, who was said to have an eye on the Hilltop Mansion in 2015.
Weekly Insight made several efforts to contact the speaker on the speculation before press time but could not reach him because his telephone line was not connecting. But an elder of PDP in Etinan LGA, who claimed to be a member of his campaign team in the 2011 general election, who spoke with our reporter on strict anonymity said that the speaker could not be working to emerge a running mate to Bishop Akpan in 2015.
He noted that when Ikon adopted the immediate past council chairman of Etinan LGA, Hon. Kenneth Archibong, that it was done in the open. He disclosed that Elder Ikon was presently concerned with the business of the AKHA and that in 2015; he (Ikon) has told his supporters that he would seek for the Etinan Federal Constituency seat.
Meanwhile, a close political ally to Bishop Akpan who is also a founding member of the AKPF in the state, who spoke with this paper while requesting not to be mentioned, has dismissed the report as false, noting that the speculation was not in tandem with any good political calculation in a state like Akwa Ibom where there are different ethnic groups. He said that the erstwhile political Adviser to governor Akpabio was fully aware of the political configuration of the state and therefore cannot contemplate making the speaker his deputy. He, however, did not rule out the possibility of both politicians meeting to strengthen ties and work together in the pursuit of their individual interests in 2015.
He disclosed that the ONNA-born-politician was considering picking his running mate from Annang ethnic divide of the state (Ikot Ekpene senatorial district), noting that Akpan was also building a political structure for the actualization of Governor Akpabio’s senatorial ambition in the 2015 poll.