My Grouse With Aggrieved Governors – Akpabio

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill
Akpabio, on Monday maintained that
disrespect for the office of the
President of Nigeria is central to the
crisis in the party.
Seven aggrieved Peoples Democratic
Party governors had during the last mini
convention of the party in Abuja stormed
out of the venue to form the "New
PDP."
They had protested against alleged lack
of internal democracy in the party and
demanded for the sack of the party's
National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur,
among other demands.
Speaking with State House
correspondents in Abuja on Monday,
Akpabio said that governors can only get
respect from people and institutions
under them only when they respect
people and institutions above them
including the office of the President.
Asked when the problem and demands
of the aggrieved governors would be
finally addressed, he said, "Well, I've
seen newspapers clips where they said
the rebellious governors, the G-7 and so
on and so forth.
In any rebellion, we can resolve it
through dialogue and I think that that's
what the President is doing, that's what
the PDP leadership is out to do to see
how it can dialogue and bring the
situation to a close." "But, you see, it all
depends.
But for me, I believe that you cannot be
a good leader unless you're a good
follower and I believe also strongly that
leadership comes from God.
So the question of rebelling against
leadership does not occur because if I
rebel against the leadership at the
federal level, I should expect somebody
also to rebel against my leadership at the
state level, may be from my own local
government or thereabouts," he added.