Date Published: 06/10/09

The "fight" between Jonathan and Akpabio

It was a total shame and unnecessary show of executive power going by the reports in many newspapers of Saturday June 6, 2009 on the brush between Vice President Jonathan Goodluck’s and Governor Akpabio’s aides at the Presidential Lounge of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja.

In Nigeria, we have only a President and a Vice-President, and 36 State governors. The show of shame that took place at the Presidential Lounge is not what the Press should gloss over, more so where it involved some photo-journalists. One expects newspapers’ editorial opinions that would ask to know what Governor Akpabio did, when he noticed that the Presidential Lounge lost its normal tranquility while he was there; Presidential Lounge, as the name implies, is primarily for the Presidency and it goes to mean that his aides should have respected the presidency’s.

According to the story, the Mobile policemen attached to Governor Akpabio tried to make a forceful entry into the inner room of the Presidential Lounge with their arms and ammunitions; they were reminded by the Presidential Security aides that such would breach both security and protocol. From there, physical scuffle ensued. Throughout the fracas, the Governor never attempted pacifying both or any side in the conflict; his intervention would have created some decorum. Daily Independent reported, sometime in April, how the governor’s aides had a brush with some Lagos airport correspondents who tried chatting with the governor.

It is important to remember that when Obj visited Uyo recently he was quoted in the Vanguard newspaper saying that he (Akpabio) is a good vice-presidential material, come 2011; if I were the governor I would strive very hard to prove the statement should be ignored.

Dr. Tarilabo Opuaya

388 Aba Road

Port Harcourt