Umana congratulates Attah for advocating open contest

Mr. Umana Okon Umana (2nd left) with Obong Attah (1st right) and Major-Gen. Edet Akpan (1st right)

Mr Umana Okon Umana, immediate past secretary to Akwa Ibom State government and leading gubernatorial aspirant in the state for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket, has congratulated HE Obong (Arc) Victor Attah, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, for his open advocacy of a free and open contest in the upcoming PDP primary election.
In a congratulatory message issued in Uyo to the former governor and co-chair of the committee on Resource Control at the just concluded National Conference, Umana said HE Obong Attah has lived up to his true billing and status as father of all Akwa Ibom people through his clarion call for a level playing field for all the gubernatorial aspirants, irrespective of their senatorial districts, in the build-up to and during the PDP primary election to be held in a few weeks’ time.

He described as a manifestation of true statesmanship, Attah’s declaration during a reception for him at Asan Ibibio that zoning is not the way forward for Akwa Ibom because the “need to restore confidence in government and rebuild the state” was stronger than the clamour by some people for zoning.

In a speech that drew a deafening roar of approval at Asan Ibibio, the cradle of Ibibio civilisation, during the weekend, Attah said, with reference to the process of choosing the next governor of the state,  that though some people would expect a sequential movement of power to Eket through zoning, the time and circumstances of the day demanded that such a sequence in power shift should bow to the superior consideration of meeting the crying need of the people to recover, restore and rebuild the state for the benefit of all those who call it home.

“As I looked around, I see a number of faces here of people I know are aspiring to the office of governor of this state,” Attah said in a prepared address, copies of which were distributed to people present at the reception, thereby taking necessary care to check misquotation and distortion. “A large number of those aspirants are from Eket Senatorial District. This is as should be expected because of the sequential logic that after Uyo and Ikot Ekpene, it should be Eket.

“But there must be a level playing field for all aspirants. This is particularly true at this time when there is such a crying need to give hope back to our people: to restore their confidence in their government and to rebuild the state.

“Zoning will certainly be a major consideration, but at a time like this certain other compelling determinants cannot be sacrificed on the altar of zoning alone.”

Umana said the Attah declaration at Asan Ibibio was consistent with the position of the national leadership of the PDP and the demand of the overwhelming majority of Akwa Ibom people freely expressed at the PDP Elders and Stakeholders Town Hall Meeting of April 15, 2014 in Uyo.

HE Obong Attah is a member of the Board of Trustees of the PDP. Another BOT member of the party from the state, Atuekong Don Etiebet had on August 20, 2014 in Uyo during the celebrations of Umana Okon Umana’s birthday called for open, free and fair party primary as the way best way for choosing the party flag bearer for the 2015 governorship election.