Leave Benji Udobia Alone, Esit Eket not Boiling - Youths warn political jobbers

Youths of Esit Eket Local Government Area under the aegis of Esit Eket Consultative Youth Assembly have risen in support of their revered political leader, Elder Benjamin Udobia citing his uncommon qualities of selfless service in leadership and unbiased headship. This was contained in a letter dated 2nd April 2016, addressed to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State and made available to the media.

The youths said it became necessary for the forum to reinforce their endorsement of Elder Udobia following an attempt by an out-of-favour group of Esit Eket indigenes seeking to criticize his leadership through a petition described by the Esit Eket youths as a “publication by dissident youths”. The publication had sought to insinuate that Elder Udobia was showing political favours to members of his family attempting to cast aspersion on the statesman’s reputation.

But dismissing the petition as a handiwork of dissident youths sponsored by self-seeking mischief making political bigots, the Esit Eket Consultative Youth Assembly stated; “Elder Udobia has been very fair, equitable and just in recommending distribution of political offices in the Local Government.” The group reeled out names of some of the petitioners who have politically benefitted immensely politically under the leadership of Elder Udobia thus, “it will interest you to know that some of the petitioners are either still in government or have enjoyed a term or two in government. For instance, Mr. Edohouqua, Godwin Paul is a supervisor in the present Esit Eket Transition Committee. Again, Hon. Aniefiok Akpadiaha has been a councilor who represented Ward 5 in Esit Eket Local Government Council. Shortly after his tenure, the said Hon. Aniefiok Akpadiaha was re-appointed as the supervisor for environment during the immediate past administration in Esit Eket (2012-2015).”

They further stated that, “the immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency, Senator Godswill Akpabio, donated a brand new bus to Mr. Godwin M. Peter. The said Mr. Godwin M. Peter was a delegate during the last general elections. Interestingly,none of the above mentioned is a member Elder Udobia’s family.”

The agitated youths said that, “We have to make the above revelations because the petitioners have alleged that the political Leader is sentimental in his leadership and that they (the petitioners) have been excluded from the activities of the party.”

The assembly seized the opportunity to commend Elder Udobia for the good fortunes that he has brought to the area since his ascension to leadership, maintaining that under his watch as deputy director general of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s campaign organization, Esit Eket gave 100% of their votes to PDP; and even when results were cancelled in some other Local Government Areas by the Elections petition tribunal, Esit Eket was not affected.

The letter, signed by 10 leaders of the assembly, expressed appreciation for the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel and went further to articulate their satisfaction in the political leadership of Elder Ben Udobia.

Call Ita Enang To Order, Akwa Ibom Elders Write Buhari

By Umoh-Obong Kingsley

President Muhammadu Buhari

 Elders in Akwa Ibom State, under the aegis of Elders of the Divine Mandate, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to call his Senior Special Assistant on Legislative Matters in the National Assembly, Senator Ita Enang, to order following the incessant and unwarranted insults and lies he has meted on the Executive Governor of the State in the recent times.

The group, in an open letter to the President, and made available to newsmen, expressed shock and deep consternation over Sen. Ita Enang’s unwholesome attitude against Governor Udom Emmanuel, describing the insults as being totally vile and laden with malicious intent, which the senator, in an undisguised manner, said he speaks on behalf of the Presidency.

Barr Ita Enang

The letter, jointly signed by Air Commodore Idongest Nkanga (Rtd), Senators Anietie Okon, Emmanuel Ibokessien, Effiong Bob, Rt. Hon. Ndueso Essien, Rt. Hon. Dr. Esio Oquong-Udoh, Chief Okon Essang, Obong Paul Ekpo and Engr. (Obong) Offiong Akpabio, dated April 2, 2016, reads: “We the Elders of the Divine Mandate have watched with utter shock and deep consternation, he unwarranted insults and lies your Senior Special Assistant on Legislative Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, has been launching against the Governor of our dear State our Leader, His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel. These insults have been totally vile and laden with malicious intent and the Senator usually states in an undisguised manner, that he speaks on behalf of Presidency.

“The sad part of this all is that the Senator, one of your Principal Aides, lacks a key ingredient of circumspection and has failed to realise that such lies should not be put out as conventional wisdom and given wings to fly, and that by engaging in such activities, he has brought the exalted office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria into the fray of local politics and cause people to wonder if he is speaking on behalf of the Presidency which he always forcefully asserts, which we know, is not the case here.

“Mr. President, it may interest you to know that there are no areas even those that border on the realms of privacy, no issues, no matter how galling, that the Senator has not come out with intellectually confounding blackmail and propaganda all aimed at insulting the office of the Governor of the State and the person of His Excellency, Mr. Udom Emmanuel. Whenever the Senator comes to Akwa Ibom State, he would appear on a local radio station and heap insults dripping with disdain, lies and malice on the Governor. He would speak in a tone and cadence that even some members of your party have had moments to call us and apologise for the shocking and morally objectionable tirade the Senator has been launching on the person and office of the Governor of the State.

“We find it beneath and totally unseemly for an individual who is a Principal Aide of the President of the Federal Republic to engage in these sorts of pedestrian reasoning and thoughts. We find it embarrassing for a Presidential Aide to advertise such ignorance and crass appeal to base instincts simple because he wants to play to the gallery and spit all sorts of inanities and obtuse rants.”

It could be recalled that Senator Ita Enang had recently granted interview to the Planet Radio, a local radio station in Akwa Ibom State, where he was quoted to have accused Governor Udom Emmanuel of not paying workers’ salaries, a statement found to be false.

Senator Ita Enang, during his recent visit to Governor Udom Emmanuel, congratulated him and openly confessed that the Governor’s election and Supreme Court victory was indeed a Divine enterprise and told the Governor that “We fought you hard and dirty,” to which Governor Emmanuel smiled and told him ‘all that was now in the past and that we should all work together to deliver superior service to the people of Akwa Ibom State.’

“Mr. President, the 2015 gubernatorial elections had been won and lost and we think the narrow resort to political posturing by Senator Ita Enang, while claiming to be speaking on behalf of the Presidency, should give way to robust engagements on how to move our nation and state forward.

“We would have ignored Sen. Ita Enang’s insult-laden rants and dismiss him for his rabble-rouser qualities and tendencies, but as one of your aides, and since he always claim to be speaking the mind, the voice and interpreting the body language of the President, we felt we needed to bring this odious behaviour to your attention.

“You are the leader of our nation and we salute the manner you have stayed above the fray of local politics, the highly commendable stance you took to allow the Principle of Separation of Powers and the philosophy of Checks and Balance, deepen our political culture and engagement. We refuse to believe the lies of Senator Ita Enang that he speaks on your behalf.

“We wish to please urge you to call him to order and advise him to face his job squarely, pay attention to details and not continue to embarrass the Presidency as he did with the recent budget presentation that he so royally bungled, an act that embarrassed you and the entire nation.

“The good people of Akwa Ibom State are fed up with his antics. Governor Udom Emmanuel is the duly elected Governor of our state, he enjoys our unflinching support and unalloyed confidence and we will ride with him. He has demonstrated in his short ten months that the choice we made in him as our Governor was God’s choice. He has engendered a new thinking in our State and inspired our people to rise up (dakkada) and claim the faith of greatness, he has taken bold steps to diversify the economy. He has demystified governance and demonstrated that we are all accountable to the people, who hired us to work for them. The people are with him and he enjoys their robust support,” the letter further reads.