ANNANG ABORIGINES ASSOCIATION
230 UMUAHIA ROAD IKOT EKPENE
AKWA IBOM STATE
GOV. AKPABIO PLEASE LET THIS PERSECUTION OF DR IME UMANAH STOP
We have again come to the people of Akwa Ibom state, crying for an end
to the seeming endless persecution of an Annag icon, Dr Ime Sampson
Umanah, by the Akwa Ibom State governor, Chief
Godswill Obot Akpabio. Our people say that the mother hen wails and
shouts when a chick is taken by the hawk, not for the hawk to drop the
chick, but for the whole world to hear her ordeal. That is now the case
between us and Gov. Akpabio as far as the persecution of Dr Ime Umanah
is concerned. We are shouting and alerting the whole world of the ordeal
of an eminent son of Annang land in the hands of a man who says he has
Annang blood running in his veins. We are guided in this alert by the
words of the famous Protestant pastor, Martin Niemöller, who opposed the
Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler and died in a concentration camp.
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.
-Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)
Because we do not want posterity to charge us with the sin of sitting
and watching while an innocent man is prosecuted and persecuted, we
declare boldly the following:
That Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio is
still defiantly persecuting our son, Dr Ime Sampson Umanah despite our
repeated cry for him to rethink in the interest of justice and good
conscience.
That Godswill Akpabio, using the instrument of his
justice ministry has continued to pervert the course of justice in the
ongoing case of threat to life proffered against Ime Umanah at a state
High Court sitting in Uyo. This case, which we had in an earlier
publication given detail of, has continued to linger, even when it has
become apparent again that the state has no real substance in the case.
To give vent to this observation is the consistent absence of the
prosecutors' witnesses in court and the endless adjournments the case
has so far suffered, all in a bid to punish an innocent man by any means
possible.
The delay in this case has made it impossible for Dr
Umanah to properly take care of his ailing health, and now his health
has continued to deteriorate. We know this will please his traducers,
who, in the first place want him dead. But the God of Annang land that
Umanah has all his life fought for its development and advancement will
not allow anything happen to him.
We want the world to take note
that even Umanah's businesses have been hampered through state sponsored
wickedness. The governor has often boasted that the state bought
Umanah's factory in Abak. He has, however, not told the world that of
the N1.8b agreed value of the property, only N1.5b has been paid and
because of the default payment, Umanah has not moved his equipment from
the factory and those equipment are being vandalized. This is a man who
has children and several dependants to take care of. Godswill Akpabio is
enjoying with his family and piling wealth for them with Akwa Ibom
state money, yet has denied a fellow Annang man a right to earn a
legitimate living with his property.
Akpabio wants the people to
believe that our elders are not in synch with our icon, Dr Umanah by
fraudulently using the names and signatures obtained as attendance at a
meeting to present as those who denounced their son Umanah. But we can
tell the world now that more than 80 percent of the so called
signatories are ready to disown it but for the fear of being kidnapped
or attacked. But one day, very soon, they will come out and tell the
world the truth.
We laugh at the folly of a man inflicting injustice
wherever he goes to be mouthing justice and equity; concepts he knows
nothing about. If he knew equity and justice, we are sure he will not be
angling to go to the senate in 2015. He told Nigerians that it was
because of justice and equity that he canceled the name of the winner of
the senate seat for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District and gave the slot
to Senator Aloysius Etok, because his Ikono/Ini axis has not been to the
senate since 1950. We applaud that! But we hasten to add that justice
has no colours; what he has done for the Ikono/Ini axis let him also do
for the people of Abak Federal Constituency, not by cancelling any
person's name, but by allowing the people of Abak Federal Constituency
send their own person, whoever they want, to the senate, because they
also have not produced a senator since 1940! It will be gross injustice
and hypocrisy for him to aspire to go to the senate, just after
finishing an Annang slot in the state as governor, even when his part of
the senatorial district has had three turns in the senate. What an
advocate of equity, fairness and justice! As for those from Abak Federal
Constituency, who are already going about selling their right for a
mess of porridge, let them know that the youths of Abak are watching
their actions and sellout. At the appropriate time they will act and
Akpabio and his foot soldiers in Abak will be made to back out of what
rightfully belong to Abak people.
We want to quickly inform the
people of Akwa Ibom state that the grave maltreatment Gov. Akpabio has
continued to mete out to prominent Akwa Ibom citizens, even those that
have played prominent roles in his life, does not have the approval of
Annang people. It is his personal instinct to use power as an oppressive
tool to bring down people. Akwa Ibom people should not visit his
wickedness on Annang people as we have not sent him to treat people in
such iniquitous manner. Take for instance the treatment he recently
meted out to his long standing friend and confidant, his former
Secretary to the State Government, Obong Umana Okon Umana, only for him
to shamelessly drive to his house from the airport to beg him. Does he
think such a man and his tribe would forget such humiliation so easily?
That was the same way he desperately tried to ensure the removal of
Atuekong Don Etiebet from PDP BOT. He wants to be the only cock that can
crow in Akwa Ibom state. Whatever he has done he will reap and not the
good people of Annang land. Annang people are no fools to support his
rash conducts as they fully understand the implications.
While we
sympathize with victims of his irrational use of power, we call on the
people of the state to prevail on him to stop the persecution of Dr Ime
Sampson Umanah. The man is innocent. The man has been the shining light
of Annang land, even when Akpabio knows nothing of what is prevailing in
the state. The man who gave Annang the voice to demand for social and
political justice through a stint at the government house as governor, a
privilege that Akpabio is today enjoying should not be subjected to the
inglorious treatment he is receiving in Akpabio's hands.
Annang
Aborigines Association is saying enough of this wickedness on our son;
enough of this persecution of Dr Ime Sampson Umanah, our pathfinder and
benefactor of many Annang and Akwa Ibom people. Akpabio should know that
power is transient because he will still meet us tomorrow as an
ordinary man.
God bless Akwa Ibom State.
Obong Idem Udo Idem
Chairman
Okon Effiong Akayak
Secretary
For more, add us on BB: 296D678C and on twitter @AkwaIbomOnline
No comments:
Post a Comment