"Tell Akpabio Not To Kill Anyone For You..." Assam Assam Urges Udom

By Joe Eno
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Chief Assam E Assam

One of the front-line governorship hopefuls in Akwa Ibom State, and Nigeria Ambassador to Russia and Belarus, Chief Assam Ekanem Assam has strongly urged the Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government, Elder Udom Emmanuel to prevail on Governor Godswill Akpabio not to take to killing of other aspirants who are vying for the governorship position in Akwa Ibom State along with him (Udom), the known government backed candidate.

Chief Assam made the appeal in a seven paragraph open letter addressed to Udom Emmanuel and posted on his (Assam's) Facebook timeline. Ambassador Assam warned Udom of the consequence of killing any aspirant to pave the way for his easy ride to the Hilltop Mansion, the state government house, Uyo.

"One thing I can guarantee you is that whoever is killed in your name will certainly leave a trail of revenge killings which the dead may be unable to end. The consequences of such an act could also spell doom for you and your family but will surely never make you Governor. As an Elder of the Church, you know the futility of such an act. No man becomes King unless the Almighty God proclaims him." Assam warned.

The Eket born politician reminded Udom that those whom Akpabio wants to kill for him were those who stood by him in thick and thin when Udom was not even there. That they were those who fought for him and installed him as the governor both first and second terms. And they are from the same tribe and ethnic region with Udom.

"And who are those he wants dead? Citizens of Akwa Ibom State of your ethnic stock, fathers and husbands, those who worked, campaigned and spent their time and money for him to become Governor, those who salvaged his Government and laundered his image, those who stood by him when he was wearing the garment of cultists, those who gave him hope when he was hopeless, those who faced the difficult times with him, and my dear brother, you were not there. "

He challenged Udom to stop playing pawn in Akpabio's hands and accept an open contest during the People's Democratic Party (PDP) primaries if he was a popular and acceptable candidate. He wondered if Udom actually takes delight in being Akpabio's house boy and accept the ignoble and violent personality of killing opponents merely for the sake of becoming a governor.

"I do not share the view that you are such a bad candidate who cannot win an election unless all your opponents are dead. The point is however moot, that as a politician under the aegis and shadows of Godswill Akpabio, you seem to live by his tenets, sharing his vision, not having yours, adopting his character and abandoning yours, and accepting his aspiration as yours.

It seems, you are stuck with him and have to ride out the storm in that dingy boat and take responsibility for his actions, in the understanding that whatever he does to us, your opponents, is for your benefit. In other words whatever you are doing is through Godswill Akpabio. "

Chief Assam said he was not scared of Akpabio's threat to kill anyone in order to make Udom governor. He however called on other contestants not to treat such threat with levity, given Akpabio's past antecedents of ranging against his opponents with assassination and kidnapping threat.

"I can assure you that no threat can deter me from the pursuit of a goal I have set for myself and no coercion can force me out of the match. I will use this forum to warn other aspirants to treat Governor Akpabio's threat with the seriousness it deserves." Assam maintained.