The people of Eket
senatorial district have certainly increased their support for Governor Udom
Emmanuel, and have, as a people, publicly affirmed their allegiance to
him; if the turnout at the Eket sports stadium in a mega reception for the
Governor is anything to reckon with.
An independent
researcher and public relations specialist who witnessed the event approximates
that 40,000 people attended the rally, which held over the weekend which was
not even a political campaign.
As the single Senatorial
District which produces 40% of Nigeria's total oil revenue, the people of that
region have repeatedly protested against what they consider as perpetual acts
of injustice done against them by the federal government.
Beginning with the
political ‘war’ mounted by the ruling party APC against the government of Deacon
Udom Emmanuel, who is the first son of Eket senatorial district to govern Akwa
Ibom state since creation 28 years ago; the Eket senatorial people consider the
APC as an enemy to their destiny. And it has not helped the APC their campaign
to seize power from Governor Udom, as the people through their leaders have declared
that they view it as an attempt to rob them of their turn to govern the state;
a project which was agreed upon unanimously by all Akwa Ibom people since 1999
at the inception of the 4th republic. .
Already, the APC-led
federal government has demonstrated a disregard for the yearnings of the Eket
senatorial district people for equity in two other notable gestures. One, the
replacement of an Eket Senatorial district son with a non indigene of Akwa Ibom
as rector of the maritime academy in Oron; and two, the removal of another Eket
senatorial son, Bassey Dan abia, from leading the NDDC, a commission which was
originally created for the development of oil producing communities of the
Niger delta. His tenure was truncated and he was replaced by a non indigene of
Akwa Ibom and a renowned mentee of Rotimi Amaechi, who, besides being a
chieftain of the APC, is a well known arch-rival of the Akwa Ibom
socio-political yearnings.
The attempt by the APC
to take over power from Governor Udom Emmanuel, as revealed by their national
leader John Oyegun, who announced their plans to take the Akwa Ibom government
at all costs saying; “I am more confident of winning Akwa-Ibom than any
other state in the South-South…we are going to win”, sounds therefore like an attempt by the APC to finalize their
takeover of the oil wealthy Eket senatorial district.
An analyst recently
remarked; “one does not need to wonder why the APC seem to be after the Eket
senatorial district so desperately; their sponsors are interested in crude oil
and are willing to axe down anyone to possess it”
These gestures by the
APC and federal governmentt and more, have been perceived by the Eket
senatorial people and indeed entire Akwa Ibom people as repeated acts of
aggression and disrespect for their existence as a people with destiny, and
gone a long way to stir the sociopolitical hornets’ nest. It is well known that
it has taken the leadership of deacon Udom Emmanuel, PDP elders and indeed the
collectively peaceful nature of the Akwa Ibom people, for the situation to
remain just verbal.
Taking the foregoing discourse
into perspective, it becomes easy to explain the mammoth size of turnout and
tangible passion of the people of the Eket Senatorial district area at the mega
reception for Governor Udom Emmanuel. And it is as if the APC have only been
busy recruiting thousands more people for Udom Emmanuel.
by Uduak Umo
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