Akpabio asks politicians to embrace reconciliation
Akwa Ibom State governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, has harped on the need for politicians, irrespective of their political parties, to embrace reconciliation in the interest of love and brotherliness.
Chief Akpabio, who stated this at the weekend when elders, leaders and people of Uyo Senatorial District paid him a solidarity visit at the Governor's Lodge, Uyo noted that “We must try to do reconciliation with our brothers who went astray during electioneering.”
We need our brothers in spite of politics. I don't want to be blackmailed as a person who does not want reconciliation. We will open up the government more for everybody to have a sense of belonging. I emerged as a governor through your benevolence. My job is to make the government all-inclusive,” the governor remarked.
He tasked politicians in the state to maintain mainstream political ideology, stressing that, “do everything possible to maintain mainstream political ideology. We cannot afford to play opposition political party.”
The governor extolled the people of Uyo Senatorial District in the election of a governor, having been made of purely Ibibios unlike other senatorial districts with admixture of tribes, encouraging the people in the district to be united by reason of their numerical strength.
Akpabio, however, advised political office holders to leave worthy legacies while in office, noting that “I'm thinking what I'll be remembered for after my office. Not long, I'll handover to another person. Let's pray we don't handover to a person who'll divide us. All of us are one and belong to this state. Let there be no discrimination on account of tribe.”
He thanked the people for the visit and for their massive support to him during and after the election, saying ''We have formed a lasting relationship because I see you as my fathers. I have developed a strong affiliation with you that transcends politics. Everything in the world is ephemeral, but the relationship you build with one another lasts''.
A spokesman of the Senatorial District, Senator Ita Enang described their visit by people from different strata as uncommon to an uncommon transformer with uncommon vision.
Senator Enang reminded the Governor that he went through primary and won, went through election and got uncommon victory and went to
Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and won too, noting that after the victory the Governor awarded the first, major contract for the construction of the third Ring Road in Uyo worth N28 biilion.
He commended Akpabio for the appointment of Secretary to the State Government and commissioners from the Senatorial District, observing ''You have shown yourself as a perfect Governor of the whole Akwa Ibom State and taken every segment of the state as one without any discrimination or bias''.
The Senator pointed out ''On probable criticism of the government, we do not want you to be distracted or derailed. When you examine the Bible, the criticised or tortured of the prophets of old that their names and history are recorded. We urged you to absorb as a father''.
Enang said as government was planning to dualise Eket-Etinan-Ikot Oku Ikono Road, government should dualise Ibiakpan-Itu Bridgehead Federal Highway as well as Ikot Ekpene-Uyo Federal Highway to open up the state to visitors and mark out the state from another.