Engr. Patrick Ekpotu is the immediate past Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State. He, like other deputy governors of Akwa Ibom State since the advent of the Fourth Republic served only one term in office. A fellow of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, he was the running mate to Governor Godswill Akpabio in the 2007 election but was dropped from the ticket ahead of the 2011 election.Ekpotu who affirms an abiding friendship with Governor Akpabio denies any form of bitterness but nevertheless says Akpabio is surrounded with hawks. In this interview, Ekpotu speaks of on Niger Delta, his emergence as Akpabio’s running mate in 2007, his stewardship as and how he left office. Excerpts:

IBADAN-Some chieftains of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, in Oyo State are planning a heroic welcome for the immediate past Governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged misappropriation of N20billion any time he is released.

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RARELY does a week pass these days without one blunder or the other being reported from the Presidency. Clearly, the decision to hold the 51st independence anniversary parade inside the secure walls of Aso Villa was a grave slip-up. The Presidency’s denial of holding such an event almost a week later was a bigger goofing. We will take them one after the other.

AKURE-THE Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta Affairs and the Chairman of Amnesty Programme, Mr Kingsley Kuku, weekend raised alarm over the circulation of fake Amnesty forms to unsuspecting youths in the oil rich Niger Delta Regions