The senatorial aspirant for Akwa Ibom North West (Ikot-Ekpene) in the 2019 general elections, Otuekong Inibehe Okori, said he won the 2015 election but was robbed in favour of Senator Godswill Akpabio.

Okori who described Akpabio as an underdog to him in 2015 said the then federal government used federal might to strip him off victory, expressing optimism that the present federal government will not give room for such illegality.

Addressing a media interaction over the weekend in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital, the senatorial hopeful expressed optimism that he would win the forthcoming senatorial election.

Okori insisted that it was the turn of the Abak 5, a socio-political unit made up of Abak, Etim Ekpo, Oruk-Anam and Ukanafun local government areas to produce the next senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He decried the age-long marginalization of the area, which he said has never been privileged to produce a senator to represent the people since its inception, and applauded the APC for zoning the senatorial seat to the area.

“I don’t want to discredit anybody, you are aware that I won the election in 2015, and I will win again in 2019. Akpabio was an underdog to me in 2015, except that he was being helped by the security agencies of the federal government.

“we don’t need to forget history, am here for business”. He said

He expressed confidence in the ability of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, having delivered successful elections in Ekiti, Anambra and the by-elections in Cross River and others.

According to him, the party was going to stand by the recommendations of the Committee set up by former chairman of the party, Amadu Atai which had zoned the seat to Abak5.

“You will recall that the former chairman of our party, Dr. Amadu Atai, set up a committee and that committee has recommended that it was the turn of Abak 5 to produce the next senator for the Akwa Ibom North East at National Assembly”.

Okori stated that he decided to present himself before the press because he considers the press a critical partner in the development of the state and called on the press to access the press in the last four years to see if we have made any progress.

He dismissed insinuations in some quarters that Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun local government areas are not safe saying as a result of the activities of the militants saying ” if they were not safe I wouldn’t have driven to hold a stakeholder meeting with my people today.”

•Sourced from a Daily Independent report