The Minister, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Okon Umana has broken the ice to set the pace for a rejuvenated chapter of APC in Akwa Ibom State.
The credit for this courageous feat to give the party a new lease of life is reserved for the Minister who thoughtfully convened an all inclusive stakeholders meeting of the party last Friday, 30th December 2022.
The meeting served as the first ever Ministerial briefing and also the first time diverse members of the conflict ridden party came together for a peaceful resolution of the differences that had torn the state chapter apart.
Considering the well attended meeting by critical stakeholders and the enthusiasm it provoked, it is safe to conclude that last Friday’s APC stakeholders meeting signalled the anxiety of members to set aside their differences in preparation for the general election.
Information gathered in the aftermath of the meeting indicates that the impact of the gathering of key players in the party has resonated with members at the grassroots thereby activating latent interests while stimulating the enthusiasm of members.
That singular intervention by Obong Umana has reinvigorated the party and offered hope to aggrieved members who now look forward to an amicable and peaceful resolution of all internal party differences as the party readies its candidates for the general elections.
Let no Party member or even the opposition take this move for granted as the party has been reactivated. As the rebuilding and repositioning process continues, members should build their hope and trust around Obong Umana whose competence and capacity to provide direction and support is not in doubt.It is important to mention that Obong Umana’s effort at peace building and consolidation of the party is not unconnected with the proposed visit of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC presidential flag bearer to the state on the 12th of January ’23.
The benefits of mobilising A’Ibom APC to not only align with the ruling party at the National level but to also integrate (wholesomely) in the nation’s political power loope cannot be overstated. As a major stakeholder in the Nigerian project, Akwa Ibom cannot risk not being actively involved in national politics.
For this and many other reasons, aggrieved members and stakeholders who for any reasons feel side-lined or disappointed by the wave of rapid action sweeping through the party should please rethink their minds and cease from sitting on the fence but rather join hands with Obong Umana in the quest to breathe a new lease of life into the party.
Edet Eyo Bassey writes from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State