The Special Assistant on Research and Documentation to the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Nduese Essien, has tackled the former commissioner of Works and the Young Progressives Party candidate for Akwa Ibom South (Eket) Senatorial District, Mr. Ephraim Inyangeyin over his comment on zoning in the state.
Essien, in a statement issued on Tuesday evening titled titled ‘Eket Senatorial District; That Unfortunate Display of Ignorance by Ephraim Inyangeyin’ said Inyangeyin’s comment on zoning apart from exposing his ignorance as a newcomer in the politics of Eket Senatorial District, has also shown how much disconnected he is from reality.
Inyangeyin who was also the Chief of staff to governor Udom Emmanuel had, in his recent interview with newsmen in the state stated that the Peoples Democratic Party has lost moral justification to talk about zoning, having zoned presidency to the North.
The former commissioner argued that it was totally wrong for anyone to accuse him of breaking the zoning formula for the contest of his senatorial ticket, assumed to have been zoned to Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency.
“PDP should be silent over zoning. When the presidency of Nigeria agreed by all the 17 southern governors was supposed to come to the south, PDP couldn’t, at the highest level where they are supposed to show example, allow that presidency to come to the South.
“The North takes it back and now they are talking about zoning the senatorial ticket. What are you micro-zoning when you couldn’t zone the presidency that has all the powers to change things.
“Today Governor Nyesom Wike said that the South has been cheated and people are insulting him. I stand totally in support of what Wike is doing in PDP. He is speaking the truth.
“The PDP cannot be talking about equity. You keep the chairman of the party; you keep the presidential candidate that has been agreed that should come to the South. There is an error in zoning in PDP, they shouldn’t talk about it.
“PDP in Akwa Ibom has shot itself in the leg when it couldn’t do zoning in Uyo. Etinan has had a shot in the governorship. Uyo has had their turn. So if they were talking about equity, the governorship in PDP should have been zoned to Itu/Ibiono Federal Constituency and if they failed in doing that they should shut up and not talk about zoning,” the former commissioner added.
But in his statement Essien said the ex-commissioner’s comment would not change anything as the people have spoken, and their decision stands.
The statement reads in part, “Following the successful conclusion of senatorial rally in Eket Senatorial District, a dismissed former Chief of Staff to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Ephraim Inyangeyen, attempted to cause a stir in a newspaper interview where he cried foul over an overwhelming decision by the people of Eket Senatorial District to zone the senatorial seat to Ikot-Abasi Federal Constituency.
“In that interview he granted a national newspaper, he alleged that there has never been anything like zoning in Eket Senatorial District simply because his man, Senator Bassey Albert, did not win the governorship ticket of PDP. He also alleged that zoning is death in Eket Senatorial District because the presidential ticket was won by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. What manner of haughtiness.
“What the YPP senatorial candidate fails to understand is the fact that Akwa Ibom South (Eket) Senatorial District is bigger than a single individual and not even an arrogant or loquacious politician with zero regards for the elders and traditional institution in the district, can blackmail the entire district to dance to his dictate.
“The PDP national leadership left the race for the presidential ticket open to all because of the peculiarities in the country and Atiku Abubakar emerged. The party zoned the governorship seat in Akwa Ibom to Uyo Senatorial District, Pastor Umo Eno won. The party also zoned the senatorial seat for Eket to Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency and Barrister Ekong Sampson won, what is so difficult to understand?
“While Ephraim Inyangeyin cannot deny that he was at the special meeting of stakeholders and leaders of the senatorial district earlier this year, where the unanimous decision zoning the senatorial seat for 2023 goes to Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency was reached, he cannot also deny that his avid disposition to lawlessness and disregard to people’s sensitivity adds another feather to his blossoming hat of arrogance.
“Apart from exposing his ignorance as a newcomer in the politics of Eket Senatorial District, the scruffy unwarranted outburst against the previous senators in the senatorial district shows how much disconnected from reality, Chief Ephraim Inyangeyin has been.
“It is high time someone makes Ephraim understand that the business of making good laws and representing one’s people far outweigh rascality and bullying, which are intrinsic traits of dictators and non-democratic elements whose last assignments in public space ended in shameful disengagement.
“The people have spoken, and that decision stands. It is now the turn of Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency to produce the next Senator for Eket Senatorial District, and that person is . Hon. (Barr.)Ekong Sampson, who has served meritoriously, receiving a pat on the back in all his duty posts.”
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