GOVERNORSHIP candidate of Accord Party, (AP), in Akwa Ibom state, Bishop Samuel Akpan, in this interview explained why his party would emerge victorious in the governorship election.
Why did you leave the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for Accord?
My former party lost grip of internal democracy and their programmes were done with impunity and I felt that was very unbecoming of a democratic setting aimed at ensuring free and fair participation. Since I am a complete democrat, when things are shrouded in secrecy and in complete contempt to fair-play and enduring political harmony, I didn’t have any more believe in that process, so I decided to leave.
I don’t have any personal grievance against Governor Godswill Akpabio. Inasmuch as we have parted ways on ideological reasons, I am not going to attack him as an individual because I believe I should be looking at the issues.
Bishop-Akpan
I left the PDP because I don’t want to indulge in inconsistency and undemocratic behaviours. There has been so much of democratic discomfort in the PDP which was making the party in Akwa Ibom a personal property of some vested interests.
I left the PDP for a party that has a sincere philosophy, sincere focus and applications. The Accord Party, the word ‘accord’ even means agreement. That means there is a social intent to make agreement with the people and that party determines and decides how I do what will make the people agree with the party. So, when they put you under that platform, there is a social agreement.
They regulate the people while you also do your best for the overall interest and benefits of the society and since that is the implication, we shall create a new development and therefore create a new development and therefore, create a new opportunity and then, create a new society.
What are your chances in the forthcoming election?
The PDP has lost grip of the people’s will. The party has also lost concentration and where he has actually lost focus, I will address the deficiencies in those areas.
I am prepared to make myself more available, more attentive, more accommodating and more respectful of the people. The total exclusion of the people from collective benevolence and benefits accruable from our resources, would be addressed. I am prepared to make good those deficiencies and I believe and convinced that I am very sincere about this. I believe we can now redeem the glorious beginning we had in Akwa Ibom.
It is my personal conviction that I will develop our state, develop our society, then, reposition the economic safety, the social safety of my people. I am very convinced I am the alternative before the people of Akwa Ibom.
Akwa-Ibom State is seriously divided now as a result of what is going on politically in the state. If you emerge as governor, what measures will you put in place to reconcile all the ethnic units of the state?
I am happy that you appreciate the fact that the state is divided to a great extent because of the way the leadership disburses favour and proprietary grace to its followers which has generated a lot of disgruntlement. I am a product of harmony, I am a child of unity and therefore, I exhibit the oneness of purpose. I am loved by the Annang people, owned by the Ibibio people, trained by the Oron people and therefore, I am a product of a collective state and a harmonized society. So, I will be able to bring everybody together.
The glory that we have in this state is that we are endowed by God directly. We only exploit the wealth and then, share it among ourselves. Who puts the crude oil where it is, who saves it there and who sustains it? It is God who has brought it to Akwa-Ibom and the extraction of the riches becomes the management of a few and the benefit of a few and to a great extent, very few families whereas God intended that the people of Akwa-Ibom State, who are favoured by the availability of his grace, should benefit from it.
We should therefore, be able to maximally allow the grace to go round and then, allow people to be thankful to God for the availability of His grace.
We have lost the thanksgiving spirit. People no longer thank God because we’ve been victimized by the few that are in-charge. So, I don’t see why people will not be disgruntled. I will be able to bring the assets, the benefits of the state to every family and every household will have every reason to thank God.
What difference do you think the Accord Party will make to the lives of the Akwa-Ibom people?
We are going to create employment. We are also going to run stomach infrastructure because of unemployment and we are going to embark on industrialization.
As a matter of fact, we are also going to step up security and guaranty freedom for investments and return from investments and allow all other key players in the economic society to come up to Akwa-Ibom and add up their own contributions so that we can turn things around.
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