A’Ibom South Senatorial District Elders Writes Buhari

(AN OPEN LETTER)

AKWA IBOM SOUTH(EKET) SENATORIAL DISTRICT LEADERS’ FORUM

President Muhammadu Buhari
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
Aso Rock Villa
Abuja

Your Excellency,

*STOP THE REIGN OF TERROR IN AKWA IBOM BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE*

We, the leaders of Akwa Ibom South (Eket) Senatorial District hereby join millions of Nigerians from the all walks of life to wish Your Excellency a most pleasant birthday and many more years in good health and God’s blessing. Ordinarily, on the auspicious occasion of your birthday, Mr President should not be encumbered with complaints cast in an open letter but we are constrained by time and the anxiety that a confidential letter may not get to you after all.

Mr President should please show understanding because the necessity is laid upon us as the voice and conscience of our people to speak up, at times like this, for your urgent intervention.

Mr President Sir, you might have been informed of the many threats by our former Governor and Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District, Chief Godswill Akpabio to cause mayhem in the state shortly after he defected to your party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In taking the decision to change from one political platform to another, Senator Akpabio was simply exercising his fundamental right of association as enunciated in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

While we have no grouse with the exercise of his constitutional right we are, however, concerned with the threats and the palpable mayhem he has unleashed on the state after his defection.

For the avoidance of doubt, Mr President, permit us to put on record the instances where the Distinguished Senator openly threatened war on Akwa Ibom State and its people, perhaps to appease his new found political bed fellows.

On August 18, 2018, Senator Akpabio attended the funeral mass of his grandmother-in-law, late Mercy Neife Igwenagu at the Christ the King Catholic Parish, Auguobu-Obua, Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
When he was called upon to speak at the service, Sen. Akpabio in a disturbing disregard to the sacredness of the church vowed that your party, the APC, will take over Akwa Ibom State in the same way one of the world’s deadliest dictators, Adolf Hitler, took over Poland. As a former military general you have a better understanding of what Adolf Hitler did in Poland.

“We can’t talk politics in the church but come 2019 in my State, Warsaw shall see war and war shall see Warsaw. The return will be victory. May God grant us all victory.” Senator Akpabio had declared war on Akwa Ibom State and stunned the congregation.

Again the following day, August 19, on his return to Ikot Ekpene from the burial ceremony, the senator repeated this war chant before hundreds of youths who welcomed him at the Ikot Ekpene Plaza.

He was accompanied by Chief Otu Robert Akpan and retired Police DIG Udom Ekpoudom. He told the youths that once Warsaw saw war and War saw Warsaw, Akwa Ibom will fall under APC in 2019, and all Democratic structures at the local government level in the state will be demolished.

On the 21st of August in his house at Ukana, Essien Udim while receiving a group of Itu local government defectors led by Hon Idongesit Ituen, he told them that, “when the thunder strikes,only the small grass and shrubs survive because they always give way. The palm tree and other tall trees are struck and they die. I say here again that during the elections in 2019, Warsaw will see war and war shall see Warsaw.”

Stakeholders and people of goodwill within and outside the state have condemned the gradual resort to anarchy by our former Governor and his followers; and drew the attention of security agencies to the obvious threat to peace but to no avail.

After threatening to overrun the state, Senator Akpabio staged a desperate stunt on August 21, 2019 in his compound in Ukana. Surrounded by a detachment of heavily armed security operatives, the warrior lawmaker still raised the alarm about his home being invaded by hired assassins.

While dispelling the stunt, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) DSP Odiko Macdon, was quick to say “The force would like to state categorically that there was no attack on the person or residence of Senator Godswill Akpabio (CON) and no one was hurt in the neighbourhood. It was purely an armed robbery incident which was aborted by the timely intervention of the police at a nearby fuel station. The commissioner of police has been in touch with the senator who unreservedly expressed satisfaction at the way the situation was handled by the Police.”

Mr President, it is instructive to note that every political party in the State conducted crisis free primaries, except Senator Akpabio’s party(APC), “where war saw Warsaw” and three innocent citizens were killed on September 30,2018. No one has been arrested and, or prosecuted even when the crimes were committed in the full glare of security operatives.

When one would have thought his unbridled appetite for power and showmanship would be limited to the political space, the Senator and wife went a level lower on December 9,2018, when they rained insults on Methodist Church priests, including Archbishops and Bishops who had cautioned them from openly campaigning for a particular political party inside the church.

Not done with the war, the Distinguish Senator and his wife again staged another macabre drama by breaching the protocol of your wife and Nigeria’s First Lady, Her Excellency, Mrs Aisha Buhari who was on a visit to our state in Friday, December 14, 2018.

Mr President, you are aware of the protocol associated with the reception Of a VIP, like your dear wife, anywhere in the world. It was, therefore, very embarrassing to see how Mrs Akpabio, encouraged by the husband, pushed her way to the foot of the presidential jet all in a bid to stop the First Lady of Akwa Ibom State, Mrs Martha Udom Emmanuel from receiving the state visitor.

Apparently horrified by the action of the Akpabios, Mr President your dear wife, who was about disembarking from the aircraft made a U-turn and the door of the jet was closed for over 20minutes before sanity was restored at the Victor Attah International Airport Tarmac.
After such a deliberate show of impunity and utmost disregard for the offices of both Nigeria’s First Lady and First Lady of Akwa Ibom State, one would have expected the presidency or any of its agencies to come up with a clarification on the incident or a strong word of caution so it doesn’t re- occur anywhere else in the country.

It is therefore worrisome that in the face of all the crisis fuelled by Senator Akpabio and his supporters the Presidency and all the relevant agencies have maintained an uncommon silence.

Mr President, it is our request that you urgently call to a halt, this return of impunity and reckless indulgence to Akwa Ibom State,noting that continuous reign of terror could lead to a breakdown of law and order.

God bless Mr. President
God bless Akwa Ibom State
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Signed

Rt. Hon. Chief Nduese Essien (Chairman)
Chief Obot Etukafia(Deputy Chairman)
Barr. Akpadiaha Ebitu(Secretary)

And others