Politics

Tribunal Verdict: A’Ibom Elders Drum Support For Gov. Emmanuel

Udom EmmanuelGovernor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has been advised not to be deterred by the Election Petition Tribunal Verdict but should remain resolute in the implementation of his administration’s industrial blueprint as it seeks to better the lot of every Akwa Ibom person.
The advice was given when Elders of the state under the aegis of Akwa Ibom State Elders Consultative Forum, called on the Governor in a solidarity visit.
Briefing Government House correspondents soon after the visit, the Leader of the delegation and former Minister of Lands and Housing, Chief Ndueso Essien, spoke of the verdict as unnecessary distraction.
He said that the opposition party cannot secure victory in the state given the fact that the Governorship position was unanimously zoned to Eket Senatorial District. He said that the entire people of the state are anxiously waiting for the zone to produce a Governor.
“We are very certain that opposition party cannot win election in this State particularly on the basis that it is the turn of Eket Senatorial District  to produce the Governor. It would amount to the highest level of injustice if the district is denied this opportunity as the district has been anxiously waiting since the creation of the state. ” The elder statesman noted.
Chief Essien pointed out that the Tribunal left the people with a confused verdict as proceedings and analysis during the hearing did not correspond with the verdict.
He was emphatic that the Elders are in total support of the Peoples Democratic Party’s decision to proceed on appeal stressing that they have  sufficiently mobilised  themselves for election if at all a rerun would be the last resort.
Also, the secretary of the forum, Obong (Bar.) Essien Esema, explained that the verdict did not show the trend of reasoning in the body of the judgement. He  noted that the verdict was shrouded with contradictions.
Obong Esema argued that the nullification of election result in eighteen Local Government Areas was unreasonable as the testimony of one person on irregularity in a unit does not justify the cancellation of entire result in the Local Government Area.
He said  that Elders are of the view that the tribunal verdict must be subject to Legal scrutiny as Akwa Ibom people cannot allow the judgement to stand.