Udom campaign stickers disappear in Uyo – Punch newspaper

PDP Gov candidate, Mr. Udom Emmanuel (m) with Gov Akpabio (r) and PDP Dep Gov candiate, Mr. Moses Ekpo

By Etim Ekpimah and Bukola Adebayo

Supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, seem to have dumped him following the announcement of the All Progressives Congress presidential flag bearer, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) as winner of last Saturday’s election.

The supporters, who had pasted stickers bearing the name of the PDP governorship candidates on the booths and bonnets of their cars, suddenly removed them shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission announced Buhari as the winner of the poll.
Our correspondents on Thursday went round Uyo, the state capital, and could not see a single car with inscriptions such as “Udom is our man; Udom is right; Udom is correct,” among others.
On a close look at some of the vehicles, one could discover some marks, probably those of the stickers, which had been removed by hydrolic or kerosene.
An Uyo resident, Mr. Enoch Okon, told our correspondents that some local government chairmen who gathered at the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria secretariat on Tuesday evening had already removed Emmanuel’s stickers on their vehicles.
He stated that it was a rare sight to see many of those who used to brandish Emmanuel’s stickers in the bonnet of their vehicles to drive to Uyo with no such signs on the vehicles.
“I could not believe that many of these people with Emmanuel’s big stickers on their vehicles had them removed before they came to Uyo,” he said.
APC member who had aspired for the Uyo Federal Constituency, Mrs. Dora Udobong, said as APC had won in the federal level, many people who had belonged to other political parties would defect to APC. She added that the trend in Akwa Ibom State is that of a bandwagon effect.
A former Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr. Ita Awak, said a young man whose Facebook blog used to be “Occupy Akwa Ibom with Udom Emmanuel” had suddenly changed it to “Occupy Akwa Ibom with Umana Okon Umana.” He stated that when he visited the blog on Wednesday morning, he was surprised to see that “Occupy Akwa Ibom with Udom Emmanuel” had already been shut and in its place was “Occupy Akwa Ibom with Umana Okon Umana.”
About the governorship election on Saturday, April 11, he said it would not be business as usual for the PDP.
He stated that the people were also celebrating the end of domination by one family, the breaking of the chain of internal slavery, and that of the dethronement of the era of impunity.
He added that thousands of Akwa Ibom people jubilated on Tuesday not that they were happy about President Goodluck Jonathan losing in the Presidential election, but they were expressing their happiness over the end of the era of corruption of PDP in Akwa Ibom State.
“They were celebrating the end of domination by one family; they were celebrating the breaking of the chain of internal slavery; they were celebrating the dethronement of the era of impunity, treasury looting and gangsterisation of our youths by leaders of the PDP government.
“Akwa Ibom people watched in utter disbelief how state officials and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission allowed themselves to be corrupted and used by PDP to truncate democracy.
“We, the Akwa Ibom people are determined that this will not repeat itself during the governorship and House of Assembly elections on April 11,” he said.

Culled from Punch newspaper