In a carnival-like atmosphere, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, today, at the Ibom Hall Grounds, Uyo, received thousands of defectors from other political parties in the state to the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The defectors comprised top former office holders, such as the former House of Representatives Member, representing Oruk Anam, Ukanafun Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Ukoette, former State APC Publiicty Secretary, Nkereuwem Enyongekere, former Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hon. Samuel Effanga, former Youth Leader of the Young Progressives Party, YPP, Ubong Edem, former Transition Chairman of Ukanafun Local Government Area,, Barrister Abasiono Udonfuk, Hon. Mabel Udongwo, former Oruk Anam State House of Assembly Member, youth and women leaders drawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC),Young Progressives Party, YPP, New Nigerian People’s Party, NNDP, and Social Democratic Party, SDP.
Also received into the PDP, were former foot soldiers of the above parties who were front and centre in the fight against the ruling party at the last gubernatorial election.
Governor Eno, in a very exciting and impassioned speech while receiving defectors spoke of his spirit of inclusivity and the kind of a partyman he is.
“A lot of people have asked repeatedly: Are you in PDP? Yes! I am in PDP but my PDP is not the type that insults people. So I want to beg you as you come back, one of the things you must drop is let’s not attack leaders.
“From the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, we will and must show him support and respect.That is the PDP I run.
“We don’t attack leadership because what goes round comes round.
“If I have a suggestion, I have access to the President, we will go and give our suggestions. We will support our leaders and we will not fight them.
“I am a pastor trained to respect people and we must continue to show that all-important character of humility, of compassion and of respect to constituted authority.
“That, I shall continue to do. I and our Party will continue to collaborate with the Centre so that we can bring dividends of Democracy to Akwa Ibom. I will not fight the Centre. Nobody will fight the Centre. That is the point and now that you are coming back, that is what we will maintain. We will give peace a chance.
“The last administration that God made me to take over from was a peaceful administration and so there is a continuity.
“Without peace, there can be no progress. So please for those of you that were abusing us, don’t bring that spirit of abuse and begin to abuse people in authority. Please drop that spirit and let’s work together. We have only one President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and we owe him our allegiance.
“We must show respect, decency and loyalty. That’s why, everything that the President had promised us, God will touch his heart and he will give it to us. You don’t abuse somebody and then turn round and want to go and benefit from the person. Is that good?
“But for PDP, we are standing firm in PDP in Akwa Ibom State. Don’t let anybody deceive you. Don’t attend any illegal meetings, don’t go. They call you in the night and say come to this place, someone wants to see you. That is a lie.
“This is me, and I will take care of you in Akwa Ibom. Don’t allow anyone to deceive you.
“When we give you good good governance, that is what we mean by taking care of you. We are giving out free food through palliatives.
“We are creating jobs and ensuring that our young ones have something to do.
“You voted for good governance and I am sacrificing everything to ensure that we do good to our people.”
Earlier, the State PDP Chairman Elder Aniekan Akpan had welcomed the defectors to the party and enjoined them to work for the continous growth and expansion of the party. The Political Adviser Dr. Godwin Ntukudeh had presented a register of over 40,000 new members to the Governor.
The Governor, had earlier in the day inaugurated the Board of Akwa Ibom Bulk Purchase Agency, which is tasked with the onerous responsibility of administering the Arise Food Security Programme, a compassionate scheme where free food vouchers are to be given to the neediest and the most vulnerable through the State’s Social Register, to be redeemed at designated redemption centers throughout the thirty one local government areas. The programme is scheduled to be launched next Tuesday.
