Two socio political groups, Akwa Ibom Integrity Alliance and Mandates Eye have condemned last week attack on Akwa Ibom Assembly Speaker Barr Aniekan Bassey by thugs at Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.
Bassey was harrassed by some miscreants for wearing a cap with the face of one of the gubenatorial aspirants who is believed to be prejudiced by people in Itu/Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency, an area laying claim to the governorship position by micro zoning.
The groups while condemning the incident at a press conference in Uyo yesterday expressed concern that politicking in the area in recent times have been overshadowed by blackmails, vindictive utterances, deliberate falsehood and physical assault by hired teams of some politicians.
“Worthy of mention is the physical attack on the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, who was consulting delegates from Ibiono Ibom to solicit their support for his Senatorial District aspiration.
“We are indeed saddened that in the 21st century, a bunch of sane beings could constitute themselves into nuisance and go around harassing and assaulting innocent persons who do not align with their political views.
” It is worse that they could go as far as demanding that Hon. Aniekan Bassey the State’s Number 3 Citizen, should take off his cap because it carried the imprimatur of his preferred Governorship aspirant, Pastor Umo Eno, not that of their alleged principal, Senator Bassey Albert Akpan.
“Are these agitators telling us that if Aniekan Bassey had put on a pair of trousers or shirt with the inscription of Umo Eno, they would have stripped him naked before allowing him to consult Ibiono Ibom delegates?” Querried Barr Stephen Abia, chairman of Akwa Ibom Integrity Alliance.
Abia commended the Speaker for the maturity displayed during the incident however called on security agents in the State to take a step further by ensuring that those fingered in the act are brought to book.
Also speaking, the Director of Public and Strategic Communication for the Mandates Eye, Dr Uwemedimoh Umana ccused supporters of one of the PDP guber aspirants of violence, misleading and mischievous diatribes, faulting their claim of a micro zoning arrangement in Uyo Senatorial District for the governorship position.
“Against the fallacious arguments put forward by certain persons believed to be supporters of the Uyo Senatorial District Senator, that it’s the turn of Ibiono Ibom to produce a Governor in Akwa Ibom, we in the Mandate Eyes can only unequivocally agree with the purveyors of this line of thought, that Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area is qualified to join the contest- being a part of Uyo Senatorial District.
“Our point of departure, however, is that it is not the sole preserve of Ibiono Ibom, since there has never been micro- zoning for governorship position in Akwa Ibom State. The Governorship position is therefore open to everyone in all the Local Government Areas in Uyo Senatorial District of Akwa Ibom State.
“The essence of zoning the Governorship position between the 3 senatorial districts of the state is to ensure that no group is left out in governance and the overall development of the state.
“It is therefore morally reprehensible, unthoughtful, illogical and insensitive for any person or group to feel entitled to the seat of Governor and subject it to personal considerations- against the interest of the whole state.” Umana maintained.
