“Bitterness and love can’t live together in the same heart. Each day, we must decide which one gets to stay.”-Dave Willis
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr.Udom Emmanuel, on the midnight of Saturday,November 24, 2018, imprinted his name on gold, and rewrote history, in the face of seemingly oppositions.
It was a night of emotions and tears of joy, as Akwa Ibom’s living most revered leader, was restored to his deserving position as the true father of modern Akwa Ibom. Even members of the opposition parties in the state had given kudos to His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel, for such rare gesture.
We witnessed first hand, how Former Governor Attah, mounted the podium, carrying the insignia of the seal of the Governor. A podium he had not mounted since leaving office in May 29, 2007.
Obong Attah’s birthday has become a unifying factor in the State. An occasion where members of the ruling and opposition parties had come together to celebrate.
Posterity will judge right, Governor Udom Emmanuel, after leaving office in 2023. In a public function months ago, the Governor was quoted to have said, “May my Successor treat me as I have treated my predecessor.” It was a memorable statement, considering that, the Governor had named the Akwa Ibom Stadium after Former Governor Godswill Akpabio, and followed it with the renaming of the airport after Obong Attah. No event has been emotion laden like what we saw that night.
The same Victor Attah his predecessor had fought tooth and nail to erase his name from the history of the state. The phrase, If men were God! quickly came to my mind, because, if Akpabio was a ‘God,’ Obong Attah would not have existed anymore. But God knew why he brought Gov.Udom at this time, to be a Governor.
Today, we see how a State Chairman of a political party, shamelessly said the idea of renaming the Airport was muted by their party’s candidate. A man who was Deputy Governor in the days when Akpabio held sway as Governor, yet, instead of clothing Obong Attah with an apparel of honour, he was denigrated and relegated to the background. An Idea to rename the airport which concerned citizens of the state had started advocacy three years ago, is what APC claimed was stolen from them.
Between the governorship candidate of their party and the concerned citizens of Akwa Ibom who first brought the idea, who should be alleged as a thief? If we should ever concede that the idea was stolen from APC, won’t it be rather interesting that APC for once has given people what to steal? A party that has stolen everything, including the campaign slogan of the Governor.
What seems to be a pain to APC in Akwa Ibom State, is that their four year campaign manifesto has been achieved by Governor Udom Emmanuel in few minutes. It will be wise for APC to go back to the drawing board and think of another lie to shamelessly tell Akwa Ibomites.
An author once said, don’t let bitter, unhappy people drag you down to their level. Instead, use their behavior as an example of how not to behave and be grateful you are nothing like them.”
The Governor has gone way above the folks in APC, he won’t be dragged to their level of shame and hypocrisy. All these “stolen and muted ideas” will not get the APC closed to the gate of the Government House in 2019.
I ask again, has SHAME not departed from APC and its shameless followers?
Everteribus Veritas, the truth is forever.
Eneh John is the Editor of Trail Reporters News.
