By Oghenekevwe Laba
Group under the aegis of Anioma Voice Worldwide has condemned the statement of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Dr Godswill Akpabio in he which he was alleged to have confessed how he single handedly committed an electoral fraud in a Senatorial election by allegedly striking of the name of the winner of the primary election and replaced it with another name in order to promote fairness, equity and justice.
Reacting in a press release made available to Urhobotoday titled, “Gov Akpabio Equity, Fairness and Justice Blunder: Anioma Group Faults Method” dated March 26th, 2013 signed by Comrade Enudi Marcus, State Chief Messenger Anioma Voice Worldwide and Comrade El Geof Chiz. National General Messenger Anioma Voice Worldwide among others argued that while Akpabio might have his strong reasons for his actions, they do not subscribe to the manner in which it was affected.
“We consider his actions a negative reflection of what TRUE DEMOCRACY should be, where the rules of negotiation, dialogue and compromise should have been applied.
We condemn in strong term the undemocratic action of Gov Akpabio as we regard same as a stark rape on our fragile democracy”, the group argued, stressing that
the people of Anioma, like other Nigerians and indeed Deltans were dumbfounded to watch the video tape containing the bizarre and open day confession made by the democratically elected Governor of Akwa-Ibom state, Dr Godswill.
The group pointed out that while some may look at the reasons given by the Governor and relate same to the quest and stand of the good and democratic people of Anioma in their call for the zone to be supported by other zones in Delta state to produce the next Governor come 2015, they however argued that for equity, fairness and justice to prevail, they do not in any way condone the action and the manner the Akwa Ibom state Governor went about actualizing the call.
“This is in no way the type of democracy or quest for fairness, equity and sense of belonging the good people of Anioma seek for in Delta State. We condemn this daylight rape on our democracy as demonstrated by Dr Akpabio of Akwa-Ibom state and we call on all concerned government agencies to investigate this obvious electoral crime and prosecute where necessary.
“Aniomas as a peace loving and accommodating people in Delta State in pursuant of the Anioma Mandate Agenda would never support the route embarked by the Governor of Akwa Ibom state to achieving our goal. Our position remains that in a true democratic polity, all honest approach be followed as in liaising with other Senatorial zones, negotiating and compromising with them to achieve a desired result that will be acceptable to all Deltans. We shall reach out to other Deltans and as always, project the need for equity, fairness and true sense of belonging for all Deltans and request for their support just as The Aniomas have always supported them to produce the Governors of the state in the past. We shall seek for their understanding and support for Delta North to produce a credible governor that will serve the entire state in transparency, accountability and all honesty. This is our understanding of how equity, fairness and justice can be attained in a complex state like ours,” the statement said