Statement by Akwa Ibom Integrity Alliance
Having waited for more than twenty four hours for some common sense and natural reasoning to dawn on Mr. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Peoples Congress (APC), and the organizers of the January 30, 2023 rally of the said party in Akwa Ibom State to voluntarily retract the unfortunate and unguarded threats to the life of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State during their rally in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, we, the Akwa Ibom Integrity Alliance has concluded that the threats are real, premeditated and seriously conceived.
In a statement made available to IGBERE TV by Barr. Stephen Abia, Chairman Akwa Ibom Integrity Alliance, the group said they are familiar with the incident of how Tinubu’s kinsman, a current prominent leader of his party, threatened the then Minister of Justice of this country and later it turned out that the Minister was assassinated in cold blood without any explanation for his dead till date.
According to the statement, "this explains why we in Akwa Ibom can never take it as a joke that in the 21st century, a so called educated man, who claims to be sane, could open his mouth and threaten to unleash dangerous reptiles and scorpions on the Governor of our State, for supporting another candidate. Lagos, a former capital of this country is the commercial nerve center of Nigeria, and every investment driven business that must succeed, takes place there. Tinubu, himself, like other non indigenes, also does business in Lagos without being threatened and molested and therefore has no reason to threaten the Governor, Government and people of Akwa Ibom State and their businesses, simply on the premise that he has been rejected in the State. "
"We are hereby constrained to state as follows:
1. That political rallies are essentially meant to provide political parties seeking elections, opportunities to bring to the fore their manifestoes, of course, usually crafted towards the realities of the needs of the areas and people of the various candidates a party is presenting to the electorate;
2. That while there are ready legal, civil and responsible tools and approaches to garner the commitments and votes of the electorates, the use of threats, blackmail, scandalous and libelous statements on persons with intimidation records and profile is never a political tool for campaigns;
3. That we consider as worrisome, the threat to the life of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State in the shabby outburst by Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu;
4. That we take serious exception to such unwarranted, unfortunate, and uncontrollable height of vituperation by Mr. Tinubu on our State and people as the Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, without mincing words, is the FACE OF AKWA IBOM STATE!;
5. That the fact that Mr. Tinubu was applauded by the misinformed, misguided and, obviously, hired crowed at the supposed party rally, and no finger raised against him and his cohorts as would have been the case in other climes, does not in any way suggest cowardice, but a high sense of political tolerance and patriotism.
6. That having been accorded the peaceful, serene and secure atmosphere to campaign in Akwa Ibom State, which, of course, would not have been the case about eight years ago, and having been graciously accorded the use of our state facilities by the same Governor Udom Emmanuel whom Mr. Tinubu seeks to exterminate, it is crystal clear that the affront was premeditated and out of heavy ill-will and grudging contempt.
7. That we call on all who participated in the said sham of a rally of the APC (political leaders, traditional leaders, religious leaders and other leaders of thought) to rise and express condemnation of such flagrant disregard to human life and contempt to the OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR OF AKWA IBOM STATE;
8. That we do not want to take this as a mission by the south-west to continually insult the collective sensibility of our people as was the case when a certain senior lawyer from that part of the country, recently had the effrontery to attempt to challenge the legal authority of the Akwa Ibom State Chief Judge over a no-case issue.
Subsequently, we are giving Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all his co-conspirators Seven (7)days to retract the threats and apologize to the Government and people of Akwa Ibom State, or risk immediate legal actions. "