‘Udom Emmanuel now has Unoma Akpabio as godmother’ – Umana

APC governorship in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Umana Okon Umana (3rd from left) addressing the party political rally at Ikono LGA

By Nse Peter

The governorship candidate of the All Peoples Congress in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Umana Okon Umana on Thursday, during the party’s campaign in Ikono, mocked the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Mr. Udom Emmanuel as now having Unoma Akpabio as his godmother.

Umana Okon Umana, apparently referring to Governor Godswill Akpabio’s remarks that the First Lady, Unoma ‘produced’ the PDP governorship candidate, said to the crowd at the rally, “My friend, Udom Emmanuel now has Unoma Akpabio has his godmother, in addition to Godswill Akpabio as his godfather. Akwa Ibom people don’t need two people to sit down alone and force a governor on them.”

He told the crowd, “You all are my godfather, while God in heaven is my main godfather!”

Umana deplored the poor state of roads and other infrastructure in Ikono and Ini local government areas, and promised to make the two local government areas special development areas if voted into power. “With their designation as special development areas, it means that we will first do roads in Ikono and Ini before any other local government area in the state,” he said.

He promised that APC government in Akwa Ibom State will reduce poverty in the state through micro-credits to market women and businessmen.

“Why do you create roads and allow millions of people in Akwa Ibom to remain poor and hungry? Of what use is a road to a people that are so hungry. When APC takes over government in Akwa Ibom State, we will build good road and we will also make sure Akwa Ibom money is spent in Akwa Ibom State, not Abuja,” Umana said.

Dr. Clement Bassey, who had served previously as a commissioner in Akpabio’s government told journalists at the APC campaign rally that the people of Ikono and Ini were not happy with PDP and Akpabio for ‘refusing’ to bring development to the areas.

Dr. Bassey said, “Ikono people are angry. We don’t have any road in Ikono. Akpabio has cheated the people of Ikono. He came here and graded some roads in 2011 when he was running for a second term, but immediately he won the election, those roads were abandoned.

“He (Akpabio) did the same thing during the town hall meeting. While we were having town hall meeting, the people of Ikono raised the issue of poor roads in the area, the governor turned round and asked his Commissioner for Works, Mr. Don Etim why there was no road in Ikono. Don Etim said in the town hall that ‘Your Excellency, as we are talking bulldozers and other heavy duty equipment are working on roads in Ikono.’ But the next day, to our surprise, all the equipment were pulled out of Ikono."

APC flags were given to the party candidate for the Ikono/Ini Federal House Representatives election, Imo Akpan and the candidates for House of Assembly election from Ini and Ikono local government areas.