Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has commended the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Emmanuel Udom for rising above the recent distractions created by certain aggrieved politicians while rallying his people for the job of developing the state.
Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, spoke in Uyo when he led a delegation of some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senators on a solidarity visit to Governor Udom. He noted that the Governor has succeeded in sustaining the stability, unity, infrastructure development and economic progress in the state such that even partisan manipulations in the state remained unnoticed.
“We are here on solidarity visit to you and your government to let you know we are strongly and truly with you. We are here because we can see you have successfully united the people behind your administration. We can see you are serving the people well.
“The people of Akwa Ibom have shown they are with you. That is why even with the shout of defection across the country, you retained well over 95 percent of the elected and appointed officials in the ruling party. My experience in politics shows that once your people are with you, you need to fear nobody.
“With what I have seen and heard about your administration, your people know that you mean well. You have displayed capacity and demonstrated leadership. This Governor is definitely a dedicated, brilliant, focused and dynamic administrator”, the Senate President stated.
He told his audience which included key stakeholders in the State that he and his colleagues came to appreciate the development efforts going on in Akwa Ibom State and not to play politics adding that “I will come back to discuss politics”.
“The way all the elders and key stakeholders are supporting you shows that you respect your elders and carry your people along. It also shows that you are delivering on your promises”, Saraki stated while advising the Governor not to allow politics of his re-election to distract him from continuing with his development projects, programmes and policies.
In his reaction, Udom said the stakeholders in the State gathered to receive the Senate President because they appreciated his role in the country today as the conscience of the nation’s democracy.
“Mr. Senate President, our view is that you are being tackled now because you are about to score a big goal. We, in Akwa Ibom, appreciate you and love the way you have been protecting the Nigerian Project. You have definitely fought a good fight. You have again and again proved that a lion cannot give birth to a goat. A Saraki can only give birth to a Saraki.
“You have the support of our people, even though you said you are not here to play politics now. Let me assure you that people will form a wall of defence around you if you hold a flag of Nigeria in your hands across the country. Akwa Ibom is PDP and PDP is Akwa Ibom. What our people say here now is that ‘there is no shaking’. Our principle is that if one man cooks for a whole village, there will be insufficiency but when the whole village cook for one man, the food will be plenty.
“Our plan is not only to prepare our children for the future, but to also prepare the future for the children. In our history, we will remember that at times like this, you stood by us. Love begets love, friendship begets friendship. Thank you for coming back to your home and party. The other one was a mere alliance. Bye bye to an alliance”, Udom stated.
The Governor further announced that he will formally declare his intention to run for second term on Friday, August 24, 2018 in Uyo.