Shop For Credible Governorship Candidate, Gov. Akpabio Urges Eket people

Governor Godswill Akpabio has urged the people of Eket Senatorial District

in Akwa Ibom State to shop for a credible governorship candidate to take

over the reins of governance in 2015.
Chief Akpabio who made the call Sunday during a thanksgiving service for

the Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government, Mr. Udom Emmanuel at Qua Iboe

Church, Awa-Iman in Onna Local Government Area, however, assured Akwa

Ibom people that their votes would count in 2015 elections as the

elections will be one-man one-vote.
“There will be no rigging 2015. The people's votes will count. If I were a

politician and I heard the people of Akwa Ibom State unanimously declared

that they are going to Eket Senatorial District, I would have known that

you can't win election where you are not popular”, he pointed out.

The Governor, who used the occasion to refute alleged rift between his

administration and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the

State, explained that he was of the same opinion with CAN President,

Bishop Cletus Bassey at the State Solemn Assembly that Akwa Ibom State is

one united Ibibio tribe, but the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic

of Nigeria has divided the state into three Senatorial Districts,

advocating equitable power shift among the three districts.

He congratulated the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Udom Emmanuel,

who is also a Deacon of the Qua Iboe Church for reverencing God for His

faithfulness and for imbibing the attitude of thanksgiving.

According to him, “God has accepted this thanksgiving. This is what I like

all Akwa Ibom Children to emulate. You have to imbibe the spirit of always

coming back to thank God. When I came in as Governor in 2007, I came like

this to thank God and the little I knew about governance, because as a

neophyte, I did not know much about governance.
“I started trying to do small tarred roads. I brought in companies that

could work in bringing about sustainable development. So, the little I

knew which was to work with first-class and five-star construction

companies, God tapped me on the shoulder when I called on Him in

thanksgiving and said 'continue I am with you' and the result in six and

half years later is what we come to know as uncommon transformation”.

Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Deacon Emmanuel had

explained that the occasion has availed him the opportunity of thanking

God for His faithfulness to his life, promotion, family and parents,

thanking his family for their prayers and support to him and his parents

for the training and disciplining him to get to where he is at the moment

as well as the Qua Iboe Church for teaching him the ways of God and

standing on the doctrine of truth at all times.
Emmanuel averred “I stand on this altar to say Father silver and gold have

I not Lord, but just as David did- the Bible says that David went to the

Lord and said who am I and what is in my house that thou has brought me

this far and yet this was a small thing in thy sight. Today, God has been

magnified, His name has been glorified. I thank God for Governor Godswill

Obot Akpabio for what he is doing in my family. I thank him for listening

to God and doing only God's will. Today, I stand in awe and say God will

bless him and his family”.
He described Governor Akpabio as a go-getter and advised him not to be

distracted by envious criticisms, noting “We have found in you a treasure

that many that are far can't find. For today's thanksgiving, God does not

choose who qualifies but God qualifies those He chooses. You have played

that role today. You never choose those that qualify but you qualify those

that you choose. That is why I am here to give thanks to God that you

qualified me as a Secretary to the State Government. You did not choose me

because I qualify but you qualified me and then chose me”.

The Secretary of Qua Iboe Church, Awa-Iman, Elder Clinton Akpan, who

thanked Governor Akpabio for developing the state and partnering the

church, said his administration has brought peace and prosperity to the

people through various Christian programmes in the state, praying God to

be with him throughout his administration.
Akpan on behalf of the church then conferred Caleb Award on Governor

Godswill Akpabio for his courage in transforming the state.