Akpabio’s media aide, Usoro Usoro rejects Ekid Union endorsement of Udom

Mr. Udom Emmanuel (2nd from right) with the leaders of Ekid Peoples Union

By Nse Peter

Governor Godswill Akpabio’s senior special assistant on media, Usoro Usoro has dismissed as ‘empty endorsement’, the recent declaration of support for Udom Emmanuel by the Ekid Peoples Union.

Mr. Usoro Usoro who described the group’s endorsement of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State as being ‘late night support’ and ‘a ploy for them to falsely claim goodies from Udom tomorrow’, said “Udom needs no empty endorsement now; what he needs is for those big men to go out and vote on that day.”  

Mr. Usoro’s remark is contained in a message he posted, Thursday, on Facebook. He was reacting to a news story on the Ekid Union endorsement of Udom which was posted on the social media.

The news story quoted Ekid Peoples Union as saying that they have adopted Mr. Udom Emmanuel as their sole candidate, after comparing PDP manifestoes with that of other parties. The group’s position was read out by its president, Prof. Asindi A. Asindi at Eket, in the presence of the PDP governorship candidate. General Anthony Etukudo(Rtd), Prof. Des Wilson, member representing Eket State Constituency at the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr. Ayang Ayang, Dr. Etuk Nssien Etuk as well as the chairmen of Eket and Esit Eket local government areas were among those who reportedly attended the meeting.

Usoro Usoro’s anger apparently is that the leadership of the Ekid Peoples Union was working for some other PDP aspirant(s) before Udom Emmanuel secured the party’s governorship ticket.

He said, “That shows the kind of leaders we have in Eket. They wait for others to toil, then (they) appear when the meal is ready with big bowls so they can feed their entire household to the detriment of others.”

The governor’s aide re-posted past news story that mentioned Senator Umoyo, Gen. Anthony Etukudoh, Pastor Abang Abang, Prof. Etie Ben Akpan, Bar Bassey Essien and Dr. Etuk Nsien Etuk as being among those who had rejected Udom Emmanuel’s endorsement then when former minister of Housing and Urban Development, Nduese Essien had led few other leaders in Eket to present Udom as a sole aspirant from Eket Federal Constituency.

Usoro Usoro, besides being an indigene of Eket, holds a chieftaincy title from the area and seems to be actively involved in 2015 politics.

Aniefiok Macauley, a journalist working for the Udom Emmanuel campaign team, also expressed his disappointed with the endorsement of PDP governorship candidate by the Ekid Peoples Union.

Mr. Macauley who reacted through a Facebook post, said “When did they suddenly see Udom as having an impeccable record? I remember that when the (Eket) Federal Constituency did a rally to endorse Udom before the primaries, and Chief Nduese Essien who spoke as the political leader of the federal constituency, maintained that the federal constituency did not have any other aspirant besides Udom, the same Asindi Asindi, Anthony Etukudoh, Prof Des.Wilson and the rest did not only stay away from the rally, they issued a press statement condemning Essien and called him all sorts of innuendos,” Mr. Aniefiok Macauley wrote on Facebook. “Why are they making volte face? Is it because they have seen the (hand) writing on the wall? Or that their aspirants at the time lost out?