Eket Collective, a think-tank group in Akwa Ibom State has expressed bitterness over what it described as ‘’unnecessary heating up’’ of their state by some political forces that are working for some governorship aspirants.
The group in a statement admonished the people of the state to insist on upholding the peace that has been prevailing in the state since 2015.
Spokesman of the group, Solomon Okpo, who also doubles as its Contacts and Mobilisation Director, in a statement said they are not comfortable with ‘’the dangerous dimension’’ the 2023 governorship race is taking in the state.
Eket Collective is warning that if Akwa Ibom erupts in an orgy of violence because of the ‘’nasty power politics the consequences will be too grave.
‘’Facilities in neighbouring communities and states will be inadequate to cope with the influx of refugees arising from the number of citizens that would be displaced by the merchants of violence.’’
Continuing, the Eket group said it appears the generality of the people of the state do not understand what the politics of ‘’endorsement’’ is all about.
‘’While political parties are yet to nominate their governorship candidates, an impression is being created that Governor Udom Emmanuel has already ‘anointed’ who will succeed him as the next governor.
‘’That the governor has a preferred aspirant does not mean that the person is automatically the governor of the state. A governor can only emerge through the ballot box, and a governorship candidate can only be picked at a state congress of a given party supervised by the electoral umpire.
‘’It is very unfortunate that leaders of Akwa Ibom, including Christian leaders have allowed the governorship aspiration of Lands and Water Resources Commissioner, Pastor Umo Eno, to degenerate into that of uneasy calm in the state.
‘’This is why we are disappointed with the endorsement regime that is stocking the fire in the state. All the unnecessary heat could be avoided if the endorsing parties including The Apostolic Church reached a consensus before coming into the open with their preferred choices.
‘’We will like to plead with the peoples of Akwa Ibom to shun tendencies that would throw the state into a religious crisis because the rat race to endorse power seekers is motivated by the greed to extort monetary reward.
‘’Interest groups and individuals are not discrete in the way and manner they are going about the 2023 governorship race in the state. There is need to apply the brakes in a frantic bid to rescue the state from the path of political anarchy and chaos.’’
