Akwa Ibom PDP Governorship Aspirant, Senator Bassey Albert and his supporters have been advised to see politics as a game and not a do or die affair.

Speaker of Akwa Ibom House of Assembly, Hon. Aniekan Bassey stated this following an assault on him by hoodlums loyal to Senator Bassey Albert , during his consultation meeting with PDP delegates from Ibiono Ibom.

The Speaker who is seeking to represent Akwa Ibom North East, Uyo Senatorial District in the Red chambers, took to his personal social media handles where he lambasted the touts loyal to Senator Bassey Albert for exhibiting unruly and uncivilised manners in politics.

It would be recalled that Bassey Albert himself during a campaign rally in Eket last weekend, had charged his supporters with some daring comments, "who born dog, who born dog, who born dog".

The incumbent Senator’s loyalists at Ibiono Ibom in a violent manner, attacked the Speaker who wore a faze cap with an inscription supporting Umo Eno's governorship aspiration, threatening him to remove the cap or leave their domain.

However the intervention of the member representing Ibiono Ibom in the House of Assembly, Hon Godwin Okon and other delegates from the area stopped the hoodlums from inflicting much harm on the State’s Number 3 citizen.

The disappointment in the mind of the Speaker was captured in a post he later made on his Facebook page, condemning the act by the incumbent Senator’s supporters.

Echoing what he said earlier to them, he said, “I went to consult some of the delegates from Ibiono Ibom Local government area for my senate aspiration. They asked that I should remove Umo Eno’s campaign faze cap I was wearing.

“I told them that if their support for me would be based on such condition, then I would rather lose the votes of Ibiono Ibom at the party primary.

“They pleaded that I should remove the cap before going ahead with the consultation, I told them I would rather leave than do that.

“OBA whom they are supporting came to consult me in my house, wore his faze cap and I didn’t ask him to remove his cap.

“Some of my staff are core supporters of the governorship aspiration of Senator Bassey Albert. I have never for once stopped them from supporting their aspirant. I have never for once contemplated stopping their salary or even sacking them.

Politics is not do or die, it should be played with decorum.

The Speaker was reported to have told the Ibiono Ibom people that his support and commitment to the Udom Emmanuel’s Completion Agenda are firm and irrevocable.

“The kind of politics and attitude displayed in Ibiono Ibom today is anti-Akwa Ibom, anti-democracy and anti-development. It is against everything our forebears stood for. But I want to tell the peace-loving people of Akwa Ibom that I will never shift my grounds nor my support for Governor Udom Emmanuel and his succession plan, particularly in his choice of Pastor Umo Eno, no matter the amount of rascality.”

“Political campaigns should be done with decency and not on the basis of rascality. I have resolved to stand on the path of peace, progress, development and unity. I humbly solicit and appeal to lovers of our dear state to also toe this path of peace,” he maintained.

Responding, the member representing Ibiono Ibom State Constituency, Obong Godwin Ekpo, apologized to the Speaker and promised to support him.

According to Obong Ekpo, “Mr. Speaker, I humbly apologize to you and the people of Akwa Ibom State for this show of shame. I want to tell you that the people that disrupted this meeting are not delegates. Be assured that our support and loyalty to Governor Udom's Emmanuel completion agenda and your senatorial aspiration is nonnegotiable.

“On that day, Ibiono Ibom delegates will nominate Pastor Umoh Eno for Governor and Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey for Senate.”

The meeting had in attendance, the Ibiono Ibom PDP Chapter Chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Etim; Councillors; political leaders; statutory delegates across the 11 Wards, among others.

It would be recalled that Governor Udom Emmanuel has since assumption of office in 2015, embargoed cultism, thuggery and other violent behaviours by young people.

In 2011, similar action by political thugs led to the worst carnage ever recorded in Akwa Ibom State's political history, with the lose of lives, arson on public and private properties and general insecurity.

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