"Akpabio told us he was going to Germany, next thing we saw him in London with Buhari"

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says defecting Senator Godswill Akpabio sold his political party a dummy before showing up in London for a photo-op with President Muhammadu Buhari.

Akpabio has concluded plans to pitch tent with the governing APC just days after Senate President Bukola Saraki and 15 other APC senators moved in the opposite direction.

Akpabio has also held meetings with top ranking APC members like former Lagos Governor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as he inches ever close to an APC move.

PDP spokesperson Kola Ologbondiyan told reporters in Abuja on Monday that Akpabio told the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) that he was headed for Germany only to turn up at Buhari’s London apartment.

Bending it like Akpabio

“He told us he was going to Germany and if he ended up in London, maybe, he had a technical stopover”, Ologbondiyan said.

“The PDP has no issues with Akpabio whatsoever and the party will not respond to speculations of his readiness to defect. We have no notice of the said defection and all I can say now is that we will cross the bridge when we get there”, the spokesperson added.

PDP Governor confronts Akpabio

According to Punch, Akpabio was once confronted by a PDP governor over his growing romance with the APC, long before rumours of his planned defection surfaced.

Punch quotes a top ranking source in the PDP as saying: “We were all surprised with the governor from the southern part of the country, who accused him (Akpabio) of playing a double game. He asked why Akpabio had refused to speak out for the party of recent and why he had been absent at party’s events.

“We all knew that Akpabio was actually meeting with APC leaders at night, and laughing with us during the day. But we didn’t know how to handle it.

“Akpabio, however, refused to speak to the governor. Rather, he was just smiling, even though he seemed not to be enjoying the talk.

“The DSP (Ekweremadu) tried to calm the said governor down, but you know he is very outspoken. He said it without fear or favour, that he knew what he was saying.”

Akpabio has announced his resignation as minority leader of the senateand will be unveiled as an APC senator at a grand reception on Wednesday.