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Joe Effiong, Uyo
The Chairman, Power Company and kinsman to Senator Godswill Akpabio, Mr Etido Inyang, has emphasised that Governor Udoma Emmanuel will win the governorship election in Akwa Ibom State even if it is conducted a 100 times.
Inyang who served in Akpabio’s cabinet as Commissioner for Special Duties told our correspondent that apart from the people in Akwa Ibom sticking strictly to the zoning formula of two terms for each governor, Emmanuel’s performance in office had made his second term aspiration, an easy sell.
“Akwa Ibom State governor in this past decade has been doing eight years. Attah went for eight years, Godswill Akpbio went for eight years so Udom Emmanuel has to do eight years.
“And to crown it all, his performance says it all. Look at the peace we have in Akwa Ibom State. Look at the industrialisation. And when we talk about industrialisation, it is not a fluke. It is industries that people could see. It’s not a matter of being on the drawing board. We are talking of the actual.
“We are looking at about 30 industries in the second term. And what else will the indigenes of Akwa Ibom State need if not development?
“And when they throw up propaganda – because the other party is a party of propaganda – that the aircraft was not coming for Ibom Air, because they believe that a state cannot do business, three aircrafts arrived because these companies have seen Udoma Emmanuel as someone they can do business with,” Inyang explained.
He said the Saturday’s election would be about numbers and structures set up by political parties and not propaganda or claims of ‘Federal might,’ which evidently failed on February 23.
He wondered why the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbayo, could say that the votes in Akwa Ibom were stolen for the PDP to beat the APC in all the posts contested for in the presidential and National Assembly elections.
“For the vice president to have made such statement, maybe he was coerced; you know he came in the night, so anything could have happened even in Ikot Ekpene where they hired some crowd to impress him but the crowd left earlier than necessary and when he went by 9.30 pm, he did not see anybody. Is that how supporters are? I’m sure the vice president saw things by himself that it was not about talking on television. He went to the grassroots and didn’t see any support that people are shouting about.
“Out theme in this campaign is ‘Only God’ and God has been working miracles. The best way out for the Federal government to realise themselves and become an unbiased umpire.
“There is no issue in Ikot Ekpene senatorial district; the people gave Akpabio the mandate when he was in PDP. And when he left, the people said they didn’t want to go to APC and they waited for the ballot and showed their strength. That was all that happened. Apart from harassment by APC, the election went very well in Ikot Ekpene senatorial district. That is why they are not happy. They want to cause mayhem and force people to stay at home,” Inyang said.
He wondered why the police authority has not interrogated Senator Akpabio’s cousin, Supol Idorenyin Akpabio for going about arresting innocent electoral officers on election duties during the last election.
“In the Saturday’s election, PDP is going to win all the 26 House of Assembly seats and cap it up with the governorship. Nsima Ekere lost the election in his village and lost in his ward. The people of Ikot Abasi have made their proclamation in the ballot as we saw in the last time,” he said.
