Dennis Udoma
Political stakeholders from Ibiono Ibom and Itu federal constituency of Akwa Ibom are demanding inclusion in the power sharing arrangement in the state, insisting that from records, it is their turn to produce the governor in 2023.
A communique issued at the end of a meeting of the stakeholders of the constituency, jointly signed by Dr. Nsima Edet as Chairman, Barrister Bassey Ekerete, Secretary, Prof. Otoabasi Akpan and Mr. Etorobong Inyang as members, dated February 4, 2022 and made available to the media, further demanded that all the political parties should pick their candidates from the constituency in the spirit of fairness and in keeping with the rotation arrangement.
The meeting was convened at the instance of the stakeholders of Itu/Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency at the palace of the Paramount Ruler of Ibiono Ibom, HRM Ime Udousoro Inyang, to review recent political developments in the state. It was attended by the Paramount Ruler of Itu, the former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Anietie Okon, academia, other top politicians, business chiefs, women and youths from the area.
The communique stated that “It was affirmed that Akwa Ibom State was founded on six (6) divisions of Abak, Eket, Ikot Ekpene, Itu, Opobo (Ikot Abasi), and Uyo, and that on account of political expediency, two of the divisions were merged to form a Senatorial District, namely, Abak and Ikot Ekpene in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District; Eket and Opobo (Ikot Abasi) in Eket Senatorial District; and Uyo and Itu in Uyo Senatorial District;
” Uyo Senatorial District has three Federal Constituencies of Etinan, Itu and Uyo;
“Akwa Ibom State started the rotation principle of gubernatorial office in 1992, with Etinan Federal Constituency that produced candidates for the two political parties, the National Republican Convention (NRC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
“This arrangement produced His Excellency, Obong Akpan Isemin as the first civilian Governor of Akwa Ibom State. The rotation principle was sustained and in 1999, Obong Victor Attah of Uyo Federal Constituency in Uyo Senatorial District emerged as the Governor of the State;
“With the position of Governorship returning to Uyo Senatorial District in 2023, the stakeholders demand that all political parties in Akwa Ibom State should pick their candidates from Itu/Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency, which has never tasted the position before; and
“The people of Itu/Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency have resolved to unite to sensitize the people of Akwa Ibom State on the need to uphold the principle of rotation in order to ensure equity, justice, and good conscience”.
Itu/Ibiono Ibom stakeholders positions arose from what the political class described as “Governor Udom Emmanuel circumventing the position of the governor in 2023 to himself and his family”,
Some of them who spoke to this reporter on grounds of anonymity said, they will continue to oppose the governor until he rescinds his position.
It would be called that, Governor Emmanuel became uncomfortable a week ago, after he attended Senator Bassey Albert Akpan’s thanksgiving/project commissioning to realize that, the Senator had laid a serious foundation in readiness to run for the office of the governor in 2023 against his preferred aspirant, Pst.Umo Eno.
Umo Eno is currently being opposed by some political bigwigs in the State on account of not being a grassroots politician hence, a headache to Governor Emmanuel.
