Ita Ennang sues for peace in AIbom -As tension foils agenda for parley -USD insist on governorship in 2015 -Effiong Bob on his own- Youths BY EDIDIONG UDOBIA The senator representing Uyo Senatorial District of Akwa Ibom State in the Upper Champers of the National Assembly, Senator Ita Ennang, last weekend had himself to thank for his discretion which averted a possible unhappy ending of another Uyo Senatorial District meeting. Weekly Insight can authoritatively report that the meeting which was convened by the senator was initially slated for Sunday, November 10, 2013 but had to be rescheduled following serious disagreements among the stakeholders on issues bordering on 2015 elections. Bearing in mind the chaotic outcome of a similar meeting the previous week, the organizers of the senators parley ensured that only those whose names were on the invitation list were allowed entry into the venue, the Sheergrace Arena, Uyo. Weekly Insight gathered from a reliable source in the senators camp that some of the issues initially meant to be discussed at the parley were; the senators re-election in 2015, zoning of governorship to Eket Senatorial District and issuance of a communiqué to reflect the stand of at least 70% unanimity of Uyo senatorial district, but apparently unsettled by the already tensed atmosphere he met on arrival at the venue, Senator Ita Enang decided to be the only speaker at the event with his speech anchoring on the need for peaceful coexistence among the various ethnic divides in the state. He said I, the senator representing Uyo Senatorial District invited you to this consultative meeting but I want to say from the beginning that this meeting is not about me, it is not about my re-election. Very soon I will come and tell you formally that I will contest again but I will not talk about it today, because there are so many fundamental issues that affect us and the entire senatorial district. This meeting is not going to be long because a few of the issues I wanted to address have been so traumatic and the opinion so divided that we will have to set up a committee that will dialogue and come out with what we should say as a people and with one voice. There were a few unresolved areas in one of the main issues we wanted to address, and as it was then, there was no near unanimity of agreement and so it became necessary to postpone the meeting last week. Now we have closer unanimity to agreement but we have not arrived at full unanimity of agreement. And what should be said by a people should be what is acceptable to the entire people. I know that it is difficult to have a view that is acceptable to all but at least, there should be a view that is acceptable to majority of the people and appeals to their conscience. Therefore, I will suspend that issue for today. One thing I want to talk about is that, of recent we have observed things that look like ethnic sentiments in Akwa Ibom. A division between Annang, Ibibio, Oron and other divisions. I have come today, knowing that Chief Nyong Essien is late, Eyo Uyo is late, Udo Udoma is late and other leaders of the past. If they had done their part and some of the issues they addressed is raising its heads again, as your senator, I should not sit and watch it erupt before I come to say peace be still. So one of the things I have come to say today is, in the interest of Akwa Ibom and her unity, please peace be still. But amid the senators speech, the audience, made up of selected delegates from each of the wards across the nine local governments of Uyo Senatorial District, kept chanting all we are saying, give us governor, a situation which made the senator end the meeting after his brief address. In chitchat with journalists shortly after the event, Senator Ennang disclosed that his fear for Uyo Senatorial District had increased following the outcome of the parley and added that the increasing rate of animosity among the people is alarming. He further refuted the rumor that the parley was sponsored by the state governor as widely speculated, saying that as a concerned leader, he deemed it wise to convene the meeting, which he thought would afford people of the senatorial district an opportunity to discuss peacefully. The senator also confirmed that the meeting suffered setbacks due to failure of the people to reach a compromise on some delicate issues, but reiterated his resolve to see that at least 70% unanimity of the people is achieved and opined that going by the rate of grievances, a 100% may not be achievable. When this paper sought the opinion of some aggrieved youths at the meeting, they reaffirmed their decision to see that Uyo Senatorial District produces the next governor of the state come 2015. The youths further took a swipe at one of the recently held meetings of stakeholders in the senatorial district in which it was alleged that Senator Effiong Bob and other leaders agreed that Uyo Senatorial District should demand for deputy governor in 2015 and a communiqué issued to that effect, describing it as a self-destruct mission and said that the erstwhile senator is on his own as it is obvious that he will not get the support of the people. The youths however declined to comment when asked who is likely to be their preferred candidate for the top job.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 19:52:08 +0000
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