2019: Governor Emmanuel's Second Term Bid Is Justifiable --Ukana Clan Head

By Umoh-Obong Kingsley

The Clan Head of Ukana East in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, His Highness, Okuku Andrew C. Okon, has said that the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emanuel, has every justifiable reason to be voted for second term in office come 2019.

He said this Friday his palace while speaking with newsmen during an inspection tour to the ongoing renovation work on the Obo Annang Market, and commended the Governor for heeding to the yearnings of market men and women in the community for years.

Okuku Okon explained that the Obo Annang Market, which is the oldest and biggest market in the Annang Nation, was built by the then Local Government Chairman, late Friday Udoetuk, and that since then, no government deemed it necessary to do a renovation work in the market.

He expressed delight at the decision of the present government to do some intervention works in the market, and described it as a welcome development. “Those who know Mr. Udom Emmanuel know that he is a talk and do Governor. He will never say anything that he knows he won’t do unlike the previous administration.

“There has been a time when youth restiveness was on the rampant in the community but that has become a thing of the past since Governor Emmanuel came on board. There is relative peace across the state.

“Governor Emmanuel has every justifiable reason to be voted for in order to complete his eight years just as other successive government did. We will vote to return him to office not only because others went for eight years, but because he deserves to return to office in order to augment in his industrialization policies in the state. His works and deeds are there to speak for him.”

The Clan Head enjoined all politicians especially those vying for political offices in the forthcoming general elections to shun violence and embrace peace and urged them not see it as a do-or-die affair.

Chairman of Essien Udim LGA, Barr. Paulinus J. Idio, on his part, said the Obo Annang Market is of a very serious economic and social importance to the people of the community in particular and Essien Udim in general, adding that it is a major source of internally generated revenue (IGR) to Essien Udim Local Government.

According to him, the market was established over 200 years ago in 1894 to be precise, but why the market was neglected over the years is what he cannot find any genuine reason to give, as many governments had come and gone without any renovation work in the market.

On the impression that Essien Udim is a no-go area for PDP with the presence of Sen. Godswill Akpabio in APC, Barr. Paulinus said “I don’t know where people get the impression from. PDP gave me the mandate to represent them and up till this moment, I still carry that mandate to represent the good people of Essien Udim as Chairman. I cannot mortgage the mandate I have for the party.

“It is a normal political issue for some people to defect from one party to another. So Akpabio’s issue cannot be an exception. Those who left PDP did so for their personal interest and not for the interest of the people of Essien Udim. PDP has been a religion in the state since 1999.

“For the interest of equity, fairness and justice, our elders met and arranged that the governorship position should go round the three senatorial districts of Akwa Ibom State, starting with from Senatorial District with Obong Victor Attah who went for complete eight years under the platform of PDP, and Sen. Godwill Akpabio took turn when it came to Ikot Senatorial District, under the same platform.

“So, we cannot disconnect that arrangement. That is why the people of Essien Udim will come out in large number to support Udom Emmanuel for second term in office because he deserves it naturally, and has justified the confidence and support that we have for him. The governor is a God-fearing man, a man who loves humanity, peace, and the people of Akwa Ibom State.”

Describing the ‘Warsaw saw war’ insinuation as a mere political instrument of intimidation aimed at harassing and scaring the people, the Chairman said Akwa Ibom man is known as a peaceful man and not for violence. “Election is not war. We are convinced that Udom Emmanuel is our choice come 2019.”

Also speaking, a political stalwart in Essien Udim who served as Commissioner for Trade and Industries under Dr. Clement Isong of the then Cross River State, Patron Emmanuel Peter Umanah, noted that Governor Emmanuel has impacted positively on the economic life of the entire Akwa Ibom State through his industrialization policy.

He said he was impressed to see the Governor carrying out the industrialization policy forward with the industries he has established in the state, which means that he has a great vision for the youths of this state and the country Nigeria.

According to him, if each successive administrations had done one third of what Governor Emmanuel has done in three years, then the whole state would have been completely industrialised, and the restiveness of the youths would have been alleviated because the youths are restive because of unemployment.

“Industries happen to be one of those key areas that can change the entire economic spectrum of this state and the country. I duff my cap for Governor Emmanuel for this wonderful work he is doing in Akwa Ibom State.

“When I heard that the wife of the Governor, Deaconess Martha Udom Emmanuel, had decided to intervene in the construction of the Obo Annang Market, my joy knew no bounds. It is not only to beautify the market but to create job opportunity for the teeming youths of the host community as all the labour works done at the market is done by the locals.

“The market will be beneficial to the whole catchment area and other areas because people travel as far as Onitsha to buy wears from this market, and the wears from the market go beyond Nigeria. The market should attract the attention of any well-meaning government but for successive years, the people have been yearning, lobbying and trying to get government attention to come to the help of this market but to no avail. It is a very positive point for Governor Emmanuel through his wife to intervene in this market. This project alone will score the governor high in the forthcoming 2019 elections.”

Patron Umanah further stated that Governor Emmanuel is very much on ground because PDP is the only religion in Essien Udim Local Government Area of the state, adding that the defection of Sen. Godswill Akpabio has little or no effect, as the rest of the party stalwarts are firmly on ground and are not resting on their oars to deliver the Governor come 2019.

The Special Assistant to the Governor on Traders Matters, Mr. Idorenyin Raphael, who led the team to inspect the work done in the Obo Annang Market, noted that previous administrations forgot that the duty of a government is to create enabling environment for business to thrive, saying that when Governor Emmanuel came in, he set up an interest-free loan grants for traders in the state, and ensured that every trader has enabling environment to position their businesses.

Speaking on the forthcoming elections, he said to the traders, there is no challenge in the 2019 elections. “The only challenge we have is who will succeed Governor Emmanuel after 2023, considering at the antecedents of the kind of people coming out to contest for several positions. People who cannot construct even a kiosk. Are those the kind of people who will build industries in the state?

“Governor Emmanuel did not promise to build 31 industries in the 31 local government areas of the state, but in less than three years of his administration, he has been able to establish 12 industries across the state. We were promised a reduction in a bag of rice from N7,500 to N3,500 but now a bag of rice sells for N16,000. They also promised to bring down the price of fuel from N87 to N45 but now it is N145.”

The Governor Aide stressed that PDP is the only sincere party, maintaining that the people in the opposition party know that they have failed and cannot win the election that is why they are try to cause mayhem and anarchy in the country. “You can imagine a House member impersonating the Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, using his hand as a gavel. Where is the rule of law in the country?”

Mr. Idoreyin Raphael emphatically stated that Governor Emmanuel has no challenge come 2019 because the opposition won’t have up to 10 percent of the total votes, stressing that they are only making noise in order to sustain their current political appointment from federal government so that the president will not say they are receiving money without doing anything, but the truth is that they are not on ground and they are aware.

Those who also spoke were Chairman of the Market, Ibanga Udoka Udeme; Counsellor representing Ukana East Ward, Hon. (Sir) Uduakobong Innocent Umoh JP, expressing gratitude to Governor Udom Emmanuel and his wife for considering years of their yearnings for previous governments to renovate the market but to no avail, including the immediate past Governor Godswill Akpabio who happens to come from this community.

According to them, those who say that PDP is no longer strong in Essien Udim are telling lies and have no conscience, because more than 80 percent Essien Udim people are PDP supporters and are strongly behind Udom Emmanuel, and the market, on completion, will increase the number of voters for the Governor come 2019.

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