The Akwa Ibom State Government has denied renaming the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo in the wake of the differences between Governor Udom Emmanuel and immediate-past governor, Godswill Akpabio over party affiliation.
The State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Charles Udoh, made this known in a statement on Thursday.
He attributed the rumoured name change to the handiwork of unscrupulous elements whose intent is to mislead the public and cause disaffection.
He reiterated that the report was false and mischievous.
Rumours had circulated on Thursday that the state government had changed the stadium’s name to Akwa Ibom International Stadium.
According to the statement, the government of Governor Emmanuel remains committed to the critical task of developing the state and has more integrity than descending to the lowly level of renaming the stadium over party differences.
The commissioner noted that the Akwa Ibom project supercedes personal interest and added that the Gov. Emmanuel administration would continue to pursue its promised goal of people-oriented governance and sustainable development of the state.
Akpabio, who was governor of the state between 2007 and 2015, built the stadium as one of his legacy projects.
Recall that Akpabio, a longtime member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Minority Leader in the Senate, on Wednesday formally declared his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Thousands of Akpabio’s supporters thronged the Ikot Ekpene township stadium to witness the occasion.
Speaking on why he left the PDP, Akpabio said,“The country is at war and all the hands must be on deck to salvage the situation and not to aggravate it.
“As keepers of national emergency, everyone should put heads together. I decided to join to emancipate the people and provide succour for the people.’’
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