Umana is symbol of struggle to free Akwa Ibom – Oro people

APC governorship candidate, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Umana Okon Umana

The people of Oro ethnic group in Akwa Ibom State has described the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Umana Okon Umana as a symbol of a struggle to stop Governor Godswill Akpabio from turning the state into his fiefdom.

The people also said that Umana Okon Umana through his words and actions has shown deep appreciation of the plight of Oro and that he has promised to correct the wrongs if elected governor.

Oros are the third largest ethnic group in Akwa Ibom State. The people spoke through their apex youth orgainisation, Nlap Isong Akpakip Oro, during a press conference held on Wednesday at the Oron Civic Centre, Oron.

The group said the leadership of Oro has unanimously endorsed Umana Okon Umana for the Saturday governorship election in the state and all the APC candidates for the House of Assembly elections, and that “anybody who canvasses any position other than this, is simply on a personal voyage which has not received the blessings of Oro”.

“As a people, we have decided to pursue our destiny under the All Progressives Congress. Luckily for us, our party will form the federal government come May, 29,” said the President of Nlap Isong Akpakip Oro, Mr. Victor Awanakak, while adding that APC’s victory at the just concluded presidential election in Nigeria has rekindled Oro’s hope for fairness, justice and equity.

The group congratulated the President-elect, Gen. Muhamadu Buhari and the Vice President-elect, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on their victory at the polls, even as they rejected the results of the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom State.

“We are proud to have embraced the APC and its message of ‘change’ even when some doubting Thomases thought it was impossible. Today, to the glory of the Almighty God, change has come and Nigeria is set to once again march unstoppably towards greatness,” the group said.

The group has this to say for the concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections: “Even the blind knows that Akpabio’s concocted results do not reflect the voting pattern and preferences of the Oro electorates during that election. The subversion of the wishes of Oro people by Chief Godswill Akpabio in connivance with the Resident Electoral Commissioner and some security agencies is the height of corruption which should be addressed immediately.”

The people accused Governor Akpabio of undermining the position of Oro as the third largest ethnic nationality in Akwa Ibom State, through lopsided political appointments and allocation of development projects, and wowed to resist any attempt to relocate the proposed Ibaka Deep Sea Port project in Mbo Local Government Area.

On the recent endorsement of the PDP governorship candidate, Mr. Udom Emmanuel by a former PDP governorship aspirant, Mr. Larry Esin who is from Oro, the president of Nlap Isong Akpakip Oro, Mr. Victor Awanakak said, “Larry Esin is our son, we know him. Larry Esin has always been a political businessman. He is on his own.”

The Vice President1 of Nlap Isong Akpakip Oro, Mr. John Obisung berated Mr. Larry Esin “for betraying the good name of his father”, saying that if they did not know Larry Esin’s root they would have requested that a DNA test be carried out on him to ascertain if he is truly from Oro.

After the press conference, the youths walked into the major streets in Oron for a ‘One Million Man March’ in support of the APC governorship candidate in the state.