The family of the senate president, Senator Godswill Akpabio is not happy with their daughter-in-law, Mrs Patience Ibanga Akpabio, who has, in various videos on social media, pilloried the senate president, calling him unprintable names.
The family said in a statement posted on social media that the attitude of Patience was in bad faith and should be punished for castigating the senate president and his wife, Unoma, in public.
The statement said: “The family is deeply saddened by the negative attention generated by the above-mentioned videos/actions of Mrs Patience Ibanga Akpabio and the inherent lies, distortion of facts, aspersions and insults directed at the persons of the Senate President and his wife.
“The Greater Akpabio Family has very well-known norms of respect, unity and age-long channels to address grievances. To see this being abused in the quest to satisfy personal egos and insatiable urges is regrettable. We therefore condemn these actions in their entirety.
“Such acts of destruction, driven by selfish motives, are an affront to our collective survival and development while also being repulsive to family and human dignity. They undermine the essence of our core family values while bringing unnecessary distraction and suffering to our communities.
“We are United in rejecting these actions and reaffirming our commitment to upholding the time-honoured ideals of respect, unity and constructive engagement that have always defined us as a family.
“It is noteworthy that from childhood till date, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON, has consistently demonstrated a strong aversion to violence and crime.
“His upbringing in a God-fearing home instilled in him values of kindness, respect, and self-discipline, shaping him into a thoughtful and considerate individual. Any attempts to insinuate or portray him otherwise are malicious and intended to tarnish his reputation, and we unequivocally condemn them.
“Consequently, we strongly denounce the unwarranted and repeated attacks on our esteemed son and Pride of our Family, President of the Senate, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON. These acts, borne of bigotry, malice, falsehood and selfishness, are an affront to the Greater Akpabio Family and indeed the good people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District.
“We are immensely proud of his exemplary representation of our Family, Senatorial District and his remarkable achievements as the President of the Senate. We urge those involved, either covertly or overtly, in these provocations to cease immediately, as any attack on Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON, is an attack on us and would be treated as such.
“As a family, we hereby use this medium to traditionally serve an injunction on Mrs Patience Ibanga Akpabio, demanding that she desist from making further disparaging statements about the person of HE, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON, his wife, HE, Dr. (Mrs.) Ekaette Unoma Akpabio and other members of the Greater Akpabio family. In the event that she has any genuine grievances, she should report such to the family hierarchy for intervention.
“We call on all our kith and kin to prioritize the common good of all, over political and or personal differences and unite for the benefit of all. Apart from our enormous numbers, our strength lies in our unity, and together, we can build a family and community that embody the values of togetherness, peace, and progress.”
