REVEALED! How Gov. Akpabio is deliberately planning to humiliate, marginalize and frustrate the Ibibios “Governor Akpabio is deliberately planning to humiliate, marginalize and frustrate the Ibibios who are the majority ethnic group in the State, and who in 2007 made him a governor, and supported his re-election 2011. “I am aware that the governor is planning to convene a meeting of the party at the end of the town hall meeting to railroad the party into selecting some people as the governorship aspirants while others would be barred. I wish to warn that this would be the most undemocratic and draconian action ever taken by any PDP governor since 1999 just to disenfranchise a section of the society”. These were the words of the member representing Etinan Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Daniel Akpan, while highlighting his views especially as regards his constituency, on the ongoing Town Hall meeting/Constituency briefing embarked upon by the State Governor, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio. It will be recalled that Governor Godswill Akpabio, Wednesday, 5th March, 2014, kicked started his over announced and publicized tour of the ten (10) Federal Constituency of the State, with a visit to Eket Federal Constituency. According to the governor, the aim of the Town Hall meeting is to afford the people the opportunity to interact with him and members of the State Executive Council, as well as providing the platform for feedback on the progress and actions of his administration in the last six and a half years. Hitherto, apart from Eket Federal Constituency, the governor has also visited Etinan Federal Constituency, Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency as well as Itu/Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency. With the total of four federal constituencies (as at the time of filing this report) so far visited by the governor, Political pundits believe that what matters most to Governor Akpabio is the modus operandi and scheming on how to either buy the peoples’ hearts or force them to adopt his successor, allegedly ballyhooed to be the SSG, Udom Emmanuel. “I believe that these town hall meetings are Akpabio’s secret agenda to exclude some eligible aspirants from certain parts of the state from contesting the 2015 governorship election… It is pertinent to note that it is only Chief Akpabio who is adopting this town hall scheming just to deceive his people for the purpose of planting his stooge”, Rt. Hon Akpan observed. The Federal lawmaker, who emphasized that those invited and hand-picked to speak at the Etinan Federal Constituency Town Hall meeting were carefully arranged by the governor to echo his voice and agenda described as being ‘utter disappointment’, noting that there was stern partiality and harsh bias in the entire process. “As a member of the Federal House of Representatives who represents this constituency (Etinan Federal Constituency), I was not invited to the meeting. I was equally shocked that several political leaders from my constituency like Otuekong Sunny Jackson, PDP Leader, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, former SSG, Rt. Hon. Aniefiok Thompson, South South PDP officer and former Dep. Speakers of the State House of Assembly and Obong Nse Akpaneno, former PDP State Officer were not invited to this Town hall meeting. Other notable PDP leaders in the area who were excluded from the meeting, according to the Assemblyman are: Obonganwan Imo Isemin, wife of the former governor; Chief A.S. Udofia, community Leader and Ambassador Sam Edem, former Chairman of NDDC”. While reiterating that the beauty of democracy is to allow the opinion of the electorate through a free and fair voting process, the astute parliamentarian and former Local Government council boss urged Governor Akpabio to allow Akwa Ibom people choose who governs them after his tenure in 2015 rather than manipulating the process at the detriment of the preponderance (Ibibios). However, a cross section of Akwa Ibom people, including the patriarch of Ibibio people and the Ntisong of Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio, Ntisong Essien Ekidem; Paramount Rulers in the areas so far visited; notably that of Itu, Ibiono Ibom, Etinan as well as the Chairman of Ibibio Elders Council, Chief (Dr.) Okon Akpan Uko and many other revered leaders in the State have repeatedly pleaded in different fora that the governorship position should be open for all eligible and interested Akwa Ibomites. Meanwhile, Rt Hon Dan Akpan has wondered why Governor Akpabio should be the one to preach justice and equity in a bid to install his successor when the governor is having senatorial ambition at the detriment of his Abak brothers who have never tested the seat since 1960. “The Bible admonishes us to remove the log in our eyes before we see and speak about our neighbour’s eyes (Matt. 7 vs 5). “I therefore urge Governor Akpabio to respect the zoning arrangement in his senatorial district before he speaks of justice and equity. The governor should note that the God of Justice is not a God of Double standard”, Akpan, who was spirit-filled, submitted.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 06:53:10 +0000
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