Etiebet who stormed the Aso Villa last weekend in the wake of the Budget impasse held a brief meeting with President Buhari, advising him to replace Udoma, a renowned lawyer; with Umana Umana, whom he claimed is a seasoned economist and active APC stalwart that can help the President to deliver on his mandate.
According to an inside source at the Presidential Villa, Etiebet, who was ANPP Chairman when the party fielded Buhari as Presidential Candidate in 2003, is alleged to have spoken the minds of Umana’s supporters by recounting the enormous contributions of the former governorship candidate and advising that the president should consider him as a replacement for Senator Udoma.
“Etiebet told Baba that Udoma has refused to support the growth of APC in his state, and that many supporters are now dumping the party for the PDP because Umana has no political anchor to sustain them, and Senator Udoma has done nothing to help the stranded APC faithful, fuelling suspicion that he is still sympathetic to PDP,” the source said.
The source confided that Umana Umana has not been favoured by Buhari because of his alleged corrupt enrichment which has impugned on his credibility.
Reacting to this development, a Chieftain of the PDP in Ikot Abasi Chief Matthias Rufus told our reporter that the Ikot Abasi people would not hesitate to confront Umana Umana and his paid agents if they refuse to leave their son, Senator Udoma alone.
So far, it has been alleged that the APC in Akwa Ibom State are running out of patience with President Buhari, who has completely left them in the cold in the scheme of things in the State.
They accused Buhari of allowing Rotimi Amaechi a free role to fill juicy positions with his cronies from Rivers State; all the names submitted by Mr. Umana Umana to the President for appointment have been overlooked. (Culled from Global Pilot)
