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…Makes Surreptitious Alliance With Other Senatorial Districts
…We Will Resist Any Move To Rob Itu/Ibiono Fed. Const. Of Governorship – Mkpisong Ememobong
By Saviour Ekpe
Few days after the endorsement of the Commissioner for Lands and Water Resources, Pastor Umo Eno by Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel as his successor for the 2023 governorship position in the state, the Paramount Rulers of Itu, His Royal Majesty Edidem Dr. Edet Akpan Inyang and that of Ibiono Ibom LGA, His Royal Majesty Edidem, Okuku Dr. Ime Udousoro Inyang convened a stakeholders meeting at the palace of the later, deliberated and came out with a-6-point communiqué.
The communiqué, which was jointly signed by the Communiqué Drafting Committee vi: Dr. Nsima Edet, Chairman; Barr. Bassey Ekerete, Secretary; Prof. Otoabasi Akpan, Member and Mr. Etorobong Inyang, Member and made available to Century Newsfront reads: “The stakeholders of Itu/Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency met at the Palace of the Paramount Ruler of Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area on Friday, February 4, 2022, and after exhaustive deliberations on matters affecting the constituency resolved as follows: 1. That the meeting, convened at the instance of the stakeholders of Itu/Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency at the palace of the Paramount Ruler of Ibiono Ibom Ibom, was to review recent political developments in the state; 2. 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; 3. That Uyo Senatorial District has three Federal Constituencies of Etinan, Itu and Uyo; 4. That 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; 5. That 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 6. That 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”.
Speaking in one of the political meetings in Ibiono Ibom recently, Mkpisong Ememobong Essien, father to the serving Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Akwa Ibom State, Barr. Ini Ememobong vowed to resist any attempt to deny the people of the area a shot at the Akwa Ibom Hilltop Mansion.
He warned all concerned to suspend any ill motivated plans of rooting for person outside Itu/Ibiono Federal Constituency as this will, according to him negatively affect the state, “the next governor of Akwa Ibom State will come from Itu/Ibiono Federal Constituency. I am saying this because I am spiritually and physically motivated to say so, at my 80 years of age, I have seen visions more than anybody else. But why should people soon forget history? Have they soon forgotten what happened when they attempted to deny and thwart the creation of Ibiono Ibom local government area? We don’t want to go that far, what God kept for Itu/Ibio this time will come to manifestation”, he concludes.
