Gov. Akpabio…jostle for seat heats up
From: Diana Okon-Effiong ,Calabar
Elders and Leaders of Eket Senatorial district have condemned recent purported endorsement of three aspirants from the zone by a group called Elders Forum of Akwa Ibom South as the only aspirants for the 2015 governorship election in Akwa Ibom State.
A recent publication in one of the national dailies had said the group rising from its meeting in Uyo, “the Elders drawn from 12 local government areas and led by Chief Nduese Essien, applauded Governor Akpabio’s decision to zone the next governor of the state to their zone, saying the move would bring about justice and peace in the state.
The group resolved to shortlist the trio of Larry Esin, Nsima Ekere and Effiong Abia, to contest the governorship seat on behalf of the zone”.
Reacting on behalf of the Senatorial district in a chat with some newsmen in Calabar, the former Speaker of the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly Mr. Bassey Essien said the statement credited to Chief Essien “is unfortunate if it is true.
He said it was unfortunate because the Eket Senatorial District Elders Forum – Led by Senator Etang Umoyo and the Eket Senatorial District Peoples Assembly which was led by Chief Essien is the only body known and what we in Eket Senatorial District stand and advocate for was that it is time somebody from this Senatorial District be made a Governor of this state and to that extent a lot of body sprang up canvassing for the same thing”.
He said, “no forum, individual or groups of persons have such power to handpick a candidate. The power on who will be the governor of this state in 2015 solidly rest with the people of the state and you must pass through the delegates of political parties”.
“The argument that time was that out of the 3 Federal Constituencies in the Senatorial District – Eket, Oron and Ikot Abasi, we should allow as many aspirants as possible to struggle to contest the party primary as well as the election, if the person succeeds at the primary level, then who ever emerges from any of these Federal Constituency particularly the PDP which most of us belong to, the other two Federal Constituency should rally round that person.
“We also agreed that we should reach out to our brothers in two other senatorial (Uyo and Ikot Ekpene) District and there was never a time we mentioned the name of a particular candidate(s) as the preferred candidate. I don’t think anything like that exists…I am calling on the people of Eket Senatorial and Akwa Ibom State to discountenance that”.
He out rightly condemned the action of endorsing only three aspirants saying, “we are talking of democracy, there is no socio-cultural, political or religious organization which can pick somebody and impose on the people of Akwa Abasi Ibom State.
“All what we tell our people is that the various candidates must do their homework. You must tour the entire state and campaign effectively for the candidate of your choice and be not afraid or intimidated to campaign for those candidates. If at the primary, the people of Akwa Ibom State agree with a particular candidate, the person wins and everyone falls in to support that person.
“So Chief Ndueso Essien and his group, whatsoever name he called them because I know the very name – which was used to publish that thing, is different from the group which he led, which I belong to. We never discussed that, I don’t know if he has created another group. If he has created, fine, but there is nowhere, no time at a point in time a group of people sat down in Eket Senatorial to say so. If you say so it means you want to create acrimony between us and others.
“Number one qualification for you to be governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2015 is that you must have the capability to rule Akwa Ibom State. You must be sufficiently and politically exposed enough. You must be a man of integrity, you must have what it takes to rule Akwa Ibom State, upon all is that you must work for it. You must reach out to the delegates to sell yourself. So it is very wrong in democracy for a group of people to sit down one place and exclude some persons or community from the race.
“None of those persons who lay claims to having exclusive right to be the governor of this state has two heads. Even the governor of this state has not come out to say he is supporting this person or that person so others should stay out. He has not said so. The race is open to everybody from the Senatorial district to contest,” he said.
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