Agenda On Display: Udoedehe, Esin, Ors Not To Campaign In Annang

The hope of conducting free and fair election to elect popularly accepted individuals to public offices as promised by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan recently may be dashed as groups and individuals from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District have publicly declared their determination to mar the exercise if that will ensure the return of Chief Godswill Akpabio in 2011 as governor of the state.
At Ikot Ekpene Township Stadium last week where factional members of Akwa Ibom Democratic Voice (ADV) met to receive Gov. Godswill Akpabio, signals where clear that the security of top individuals from Ibibio extraction and the fragile calm in the state was no longer guaranteed.
Speakers at the event expressed disgust over Obong Victor Attah and Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, one of the contenders to the government house top job in 2011.
Those who spoke included Chief Sunny Ibanga, Ikot Ekpene PDP Chapter Chairman and chairman, forum of PDP chapter chairmen in Akwa Ibom State, Hon. Nse Ntuen, Chairman of Essien Udim Local Government Area and Barr. Emmanuel Enoidem, Commissioner for Housing and Urban Renewal and Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District aspirant in 2011. Their anger stems from the recent public endorsement of Senator John James Akpanudoedehe for the Akpabio's job in 2011 by Ex Governor Victor Attah.
They said the endorsement and the goodwill which greeted the exercise has jeopardize the chances of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District filling an 8 year 2 tenure in office as its Ibibio brothers and Uyo Senatorial District Counterpart which Obong Attah is purported to have guaranteed when he engineered power shift to the senatorial district at the termination of his term in office.
As they spoke, dotting unprintable names on Obong Attah, Senator Udoedehe and traditional chiefs who graced the Attah-Udoedehe political rally in Uyo, they specifically warned Obong Attah and Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, former minister of FCT against campaigning in any of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district's towns or risk attack. The warning also extended to other governorship aspirants who one of the speakers, Chief Sunny Ibanga barred their posters from being branded at any location in the Senatorial district.
The ADV confab and the speeches, apart from attracting public hatred to Obong Attah and governorship aspirants in the state, also put paid to the identity of those who vandalized properties worth millions of naira at the visit of Justine Udoedehe to Ikot Ekpene to consult women of the constituency recently. On the occasion, the wife of the former minister, an indigene of Ikot Ekpene, had a narrow escape when she was advised to take another venue for her visit since sponsored cult groups and thugs had invaded the proposed venue damaging several properties including a Toyota Camry Car. Then it was alleged that Chief Sunny Ibanga, Pastor Sunny Ibuot, Chairman of Ikot Ekpene Local Government, some councilors in the council and Hon Nse Ntuen were behind the act purportedly on the order of governor Godswill Akpabio.
Senator Udoedehe on his part after receiving the security report insisted that the visit must be held but send a warning that if he will not have a save landing to campaign in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district by agents of Governor Godswill Akpabio, he (Gov. Akpabio) will not campaign in any Ibibio Local Government for support to his aspiration. Senator Udoedehe was of the views that there was no need for such attack where one is sure of success in any campaign. He said there was need for security agencies in the state to rise to the security threats and bring its perpetrators to book against total outbreak of law and order.
Despite public condemnation which trailed the attack and the danger of a revenge mission by aggrieved members in the opposition camps, trigger happy politicians in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District have sent the second salvo with a ban on all political activities in the district except that which is to guarantee an eight year stay in power for the senatorial district through Governor Godswill Akpabio. To them, the least political tools as posters, leaflets, news item must not be posted in the senatorial district except in support of the incumbency.
However, in a swift reaction to the injunction, youths suspected to be from Uyo senatorial district stormed some streets of Uyo Sunday morning and haul down bill boards branded with Chief Godswill Akpabio's second term campaign. Global Concord upon receiving a text from a church goer who inquired to know what the matter was, discovered that bill boards at Aka- IBB junction which used to read: “Ibibio Nation Endorses Gov. Godswill Akpabio” was torn into pieces. Others are those sited at Nsikak Eduok by Oron Road, and other strategic locations in the capital city... leaving the one at Willington Bassey Way- Oron Road- Ikot Ekpene Road junction by the plaza which reads: “Oro Nation Endorses Governor Godswill Akpabip” and few others behind. Following the exercise which is said to be the beginning of sorrow for governor Akpabio by irate youths, some watchers said if the excesses of the continuity propagandists are not checked it may generate to serious political class in the state. Following the incident, there is palpable tension in Uyo, the state capital over an imminent outbreak of law and order in protest to the blatant disregard to the rules of politics during democracy.
Those who spoke to Global Concord on the Sunny Ibanga, Enoidem, Nse Ntuen invectives condemned the injunction order saying it was capable of causing ethnic disharmony as well as portraying the Annangs as dictators and security threat to the state. A former Commissioner from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District who spoke on condition of anonymity faulted the ADV gathering and the speakers' stance on Obong Victor Attah, Senator Udoedehe and other governorship aspirants. On tape, the ex commissioner an economist said: “Those were not good speeches. There would have been some tinge of diplomacy, not raw utterances which can rub us the support of our Ibibio and Oron brothers. I regret it and I'm happy I was not opportune to go there, I would have been embarrassed. That is what happened when menial minds are in politics. In democracy, you boast of numbers and not arsenal. We are not many in number as demanded during democracy to fight to retain power. Even though I have not been up and doing since the emergence of this government, I know what Etiebet and myself went through -hurdles to get votes and confidence of Ibibio for an Annang governor which we have today. It was not by force. It was not by threats. Good, Attah has brought Udoedehe but we can still meet our Ibibio brothers and have our way but certainly not by issuing threats. To tell you the truth, what Sunny Ibanga and co did is a taboo in Annang. Annang are friends to visitors and strangers, Attah's daughter is married here and Udoedehe is married from Ikot Ekpene, those utterances were not seasoned…it is necessary that I tell you here that those are not our position over Obong Attah and Udoedehe. Even though we are not happy with their political fraternity for now, we certainly can't anathamise them. They are our in-laws, we have their blood and they have ours. So we can't fight them…”
The speaker urged the public to disregard the speeches and called for continued peaceful co-existent among ethnic groups in the state. He denied knowledge that the speakers were hiding under the cover of Gov. Akpabio to perpetrate political crimes as being held in some quarters but however attributed the utterances to individuals' obsession to remain in power and in the governor's good book.