The Akwa Ibom Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, has urged politicians and the people of the state to choose peace over violence as the 2023 elections draw close.
Emmanuel stated that no political ambition was worth the peace of the state and shedding of blood, adding that power belongs to God and He alone decides who to favour.
He said, “There is no political office that should compel us to shed the blood of our brothers or sisters. There is no ambition that is so deep and sacred that we would be willing to turn our state into a cauldron of violence, in order to satisfy our craving for power. All powers belong to God and He alone, grants such to whom He has favoured.”
While making the statement in an Easter message broadcast to his people on Sunday in Uyo, Gov. Emmanuel said Akwa Ibom would not return to the years where kidnapping and politically motivated killings questioned the primary purpose of government, which is the security of lives and property.
“Akwa Ibom has in the past seven years, remained an oasis of peace and tranquillity, and on this, I salute our resourceful youths who have decided to maintain the peace and invest in the future that is about to dawn – a future of plenty, a future of fulfilment and a future of growth and development.
“We will never go back to the years of violence and the years where we couldn’t sleep with our eyes closed. We will not return to the years where kidnapping and politically motivated killings numbed our sensibilities and made us question the central purpose of governance, which is the security of lives and property.
“Akwa Ibom people have collectively and unanimously said goodbye to those years and have welcomed the era of peace and security. Anyone who markets violence should and must be rejected,” the governor said.
He urged the people to eschew hatred, ethnicity, anger and its related divisive tendencies, and reject anyone who markets violence.
“My fellow Akwaibomites, as we reflect on the unflinching love for mankind which the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ represent, I again urge you to eschew hatred, ethnicity, anger and all forms of divisive tendencies from our body-politic.
“Let us continue to join hands to build the Akwa Ibom State of our dream and secure a future of prosperity, peace and growth for our children and generations yet unborn,” he stated.
