From Joe Effiong, Uyo
A group, Ibom Patriots, a political association, made of serving and former political office holders in Akwa Ibom State, has warned that bringing in any other person other than Governor Udom Emmanuel in 2019, will spell doom for the state.
Addressing a press conference in Uyo, yesterday, which was also the governor’s 51st birthday, chancellor of the association and former gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Obong Bassey Inuaeyen, said supporting Emmanuel to complete a second term from 2019 till 2023 is the right and fair thing to do.
Inuaeyen said the state has “enjoyed relative peace which is a fundamental condition for economic development, for the simple reason that knowingly or unknowingly, we have crafted a pattern of sharing political offices. The office of the governor has come to be the symbol of our strength, unity and collective dignity. This office has, since 1999, rotated eight years among the three senatorial districts, sequentially. Within the senatorial district, precedent shows that this office has always rested on one person. The fundamental reason for this is that one senatorial district may not stay more than eight years, thereby making the rotation, sure, smoother and faster. The smooth rotation from Obong Victor Attah of Uyo Senatorial District (1999-2007) to Senator Godswill Akpabio of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District (2007-2015) is a well known fact. 2015 to 2023 is the turn of Eket Senatorial District. The baton now is in the hands of Emmanuel. This arrangement has not only eliminated suspicion of one senatorial district prolonging itself for more than eight years, as the constitution only guarantees a maximum of eight year tenure for an individual, it has sustained peace within the state, and also promotes fairness, equity and equality for the peaceful co-existence of all sections of the state.
“In 2019, therefore, there is only one person, who will not distort this arrangement. That person is Emmanuel…”
Anything otherwise, will endanger the peace and tranquillity that has been woven together by our founding fathers and our contemporary leaders,” Inuaeyen said.
According to the group, this is the time to make a commitment to Akwa Ibom beyond selfish interest since the months ahead, the political activities and its attendant consequences would either divide the people further and all the dreams of their founding fathers or fuse them together and promote peace, progress and unity in our land.
“The luck we have is that we are not as divided as our politics seems to suggest. We are not perfect and can never be. However, in the midst of our imperfection, we can continue to be great by striving not only to be fair, just and equitable, but to be seen to be so.”