Fallout of Town Hall meeting: Uyo won’t bow to Akpabio's blackmail- Stakeholders

Despite Akpabio’s attempt to make Uyo people toe his line ahead 2015, investigations have emerged that the people only regarded the state Governor’s utterances as a blackmail. It was gathered by our reporter that although Uyo have accepted that governorship of 2015 be zoned to Eket Senatorial District, they have vowed to go for an aspirant of their own who will lead and protect their interest. Intelligent sources say the political stakeholders of the area have expressed total confidence on the council chair Ekerette Ekpenyong and have accordingly given him the mandate to chart the way forward for the area on whom they should support. Sources say Ekpenyong is seen as one politician who will not sell Uyo or lead Uyo the wrong way.

This decision is said to have been taken in a carefully selected meeting of leading and elected political elites of the Local Government. Some former council helmsmen and elected reps of Uyo are said to have also been in attendance. No appointed officer was there. The party chair of Uyo PDP was there and some Exco members of the party in Uyo. The meeting was held behind closed doors at a location near Edet Akpan Avenue last week after the Uyo town hall meeting. At the Uyo town hall meeting, the Governor had described Ekerette Ekpenyong as the prodigal son who fought against his father to share his wealth but lavished it when he was given. Governor Akpabio described Ekerette Ekpenyong as ungrateful and lacking in the quality of thanksgiving since he was elevated in 2007 from nowhere to where he is today, regretting that what he now gets from Ekerette is blackmail and abuse of his administration. 

Akpabio lamented that despite the fact that his administration committed 50% percent of the state’s resources to the development of Uyo; the city still remains the central home of his administration’s blackmail. 

He however told the Uyo Chairman to remember that no child fights his father and succeeds. He therefore called on the people of the Federal Constituency to close ranks of blackmail and criticism, and support his administration to the end so that together, the state can collectively produce the next governor who will continue or do even better than him in the transformation of the state. 

He maintained that together the state can produce the next governor who will be devoid of tribal sentiments.