Akpabio’s longtime supporter alleges neglect, exclusion from political appointments

Otoabasi Udo, a former publicity secretary of Nigeria’s All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State, has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of forgetting longtime supporters despite their political sacrifices.

Udo made the allegations in an open letter titled “Why Am I Forgotten & Forsaken? An Appeal for Reward & Recognition.” He addressed it to Akpabio as Senate president and chairman of the National Assembly, saying he turned to a public appeal after repeated attempts to reach him through his aides failed.

Udo served as the APC’s state publicity secretary from 2021 until March 2026. He said he joined Akpabio in moving from the People’s Democratic Party to the APC while it was still in opposition in Akwa Ibom. He later became coordinator of the Abak chapter of the Akwa Ibom Democratic Forum, a political platform he said helped build the structure that eventually became the APC in the state.

According to Udo, Akpabio’s supporters faced political persecution because of the senator’s opposition to the state’s dominant political structure. He said his public defense of Akpabio made him a target, and that some articles he wrote created security concerns for him and his family.

“Serving you and bearing the cross was selfless, borne out of love, loyalty and conviction to you and what you stand for,” Udo wrote. He alleged that he personally funded the ADF chapter for more than four years and later paid expenses for the APC publicity office. He said he wrote more than 100 articles defending Akpabio, issued over 150 party press releases and appeared more than 30 times on radio and television, paying his own transport and other costs. Unlike former lawmaker Patty Etete, who previously wrote an open letter before resigning from the APC, Udo did not announce his own resignation.

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Serving you and bearing the cross was selfless, borne out of love, loyalty and conviction to you and what you stand for