As the battle for the Hiltop Mansion in 2015 gets tougher, some
prominent elders from Uyo Senatorial District paid a high level visit to
the executive governor of the state, Chief Godswill Akpabio, CON. A
close source at the meeting revealed to Akwa Ibom Online that the purpose of the visit to the state governor centered on the issue of zoning the exalted office in the state in 2015.
We learnt that the elders were not happy over the governor’s insistence
that government was going to shift even though he (the governor) did
not specify which area it was going to shift to. But the elders we
gathered insisted that the contest should be left open to all ibibio
sons and daughters in the state reminding the governor that in 2006 when
he first vied for the office, and in 2007 when he contested in the
general elections, it was open to all aspirants from the three
senatorial district of the state.
But in a separate reaction,
selected youth leaders of Akwa Ibom State under the aegis of ‘Coalition
of Akwa Ibom Youth Leaders’ have strongly condemned the moves by the Uyo
Senatorial District Leaders noting that they are only misinforming the
populace and trying to tear the state apart in their self-seeking
ambition to put forward their already selected/chosen aspirant.
A
youth leader from Eket Senatorial District while reacting to the 2006
PDP primaries where aspirants from all the senatorial district of the
state took part opined that there is a huge difference between an
aspirant and a candidate. He explained that as Nigerians, electoral
contest is open to all, hence, the aspirations. But as a party, PDP,
there is a law which gives room for the principle of zoning/rotation of
public/elective offices. That it is the zoning law that brings about
consensus within the party where the party then presents its sole
candidate for the general election. He pointed out that against the Uyo
Senatorial District elders submission that in 2007 the contest was open
to all, the party presented only one candidate in the person of our own
pragmatic governor, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio from Ikot Ekpene
Senatorial District.
Another youth leader, this time from Ikot
Ekpene Senatorial District faulted the Uyo Senatorial District elders by
seeking the contest to be open to all Ibibio Sons and Daughters. In his
submission, he reminded the elders that there are Ibibios in Ikot
Ekpene Senatorial District (Ikono and Ini). “So if they say the contest
should be open to all Ibibio sons and daughters, does it not mean that
our brothers and sisters in Ikono and Ini can join the race? That will
only amount to greed and ungratefulness and we are tired of all the
deception” he says.
But in a very surprising turn and for the first
time, representatives of Uyo Senatorial District in the coalition have
thrown in their support for power to shift to Eket Senatorial District
come 2015. Speaking on behalf of the zone, a youth leader from Nsit Ibom
blamed their elders of being the brains behind the move of the office
of the SSG out of the zone. He warned the elders against trying to
subvert justice, equity and fair play which are core principles of
democracy, stressing that the elders have had enough and should retire
to the position of elder statesmen by playing advisory roles rather than
trying to perpetuate themselves as key players. Reminding them of how
they shut the youths out of Obong Victor Attah’s administration.
Another youth from Etinan, asked “if our elders are saying power sholud
be open to all Ibibio sons and daughters, what will then happen to our
brothers and sisters from Oro Nation? Eastern Obolo? Ibeno? Eket/Esit
Eket? Do they have to wait till God knows when?” He pointed out that the
turn for Uyo Senatorial District to agitate for governorship is not
now, but in the year 2023.
However, the governor on his part, at
public fora has not taken a position on the zoning or otherwise of the
governorship position in the state. He has stated clearly that he has
not anointed anyone as governor in 2015.
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