Pastor Umo Eno has extended an olive branch to other contestants in the governorship race in Akwa Ibom, saying it is now time for all to join hands in building the State to greater heights.
The governor-elect in his victory speech commended his opponents for putting up a good fight, adding that in any political contest, a winner must emerge and on this occasion it has pleased God to place him as the winner of the contest.
“I hereby extend an olive branch and my hand of fellowship to all my brothers who contested with me, to join me in building the Akwa Ibom State where the symphonies of peace, development, love, unity and brotherhood would continue to ring louder and bind us all even deeper together,” Pastor Eno stated.
The newly-elected governor also promised to set up a reconciliation committee to bring the people of the state together and focus on things that deepen the state’s unity.
Pastor Eno dedicated his victory to God and thanked his “political father — Governor Udom Emmanuel,” whom he said saw in him “what others may not have seen”. He promised not to disappoint the people.
Below is the governor-elect’s full statement.
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BEING THE VICTORY SPEECH BY PASTOR UMO ENO, GOVERNOR-ELECT, AKWA IBOM STATE, MARCH 19TH, 2023-UYO
1. Fellow Akwaibomites.
2. I stand here, humbled yet energized by the massive support and overwhelming vote of confidence in my capacity to be your Servant-Leader in the next four years that you showed me yesterday, at the polls. It was peaceful, credible, fair and a ringing expression of the will of our people.
3. You came out massively to vote for the continuation of the peace and security of lives and property we have enjoyed in the last almost eight years; the continuation of a Christ-centric leadership, of humility in governance, compassion, competence, character and development across all sectors. You did this, so our children and generations yet unborn will enjoy the dividends of democracy and live happily, in brotherhood, love and unity.
4. I dedicate this victory to God, for the Grace He has shown me, for the strength to carry on, in the face of several challenges and for the inner peace to keep moving with my eyes clearly set on the ball and not to be distracted. To THAT SAME GOD be all the glory!
5. Let me specifically thank my Political Father, the Leader of our Party, our dear Governor, His Excellency, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, for seeing in me, what others may not have seen. Thank you Your Excellency, for standing by me, for leading the troop for the continuation of good governance, for insisting that what God has started in Akwa Ibom State, must continue and the story be told in more enchanting chapters.
6. To our First Lady, and our Campaigner-in Chief, Her Excellency, Dr. (Mrs.) Martha Udom Emmanuel, thank you for the long hours, the soaring speeches at campaigns which ultimately manifested in the massive victory we got yesterday.
7. I pledge to you, Your Excellency and our dear people who have bought into your vision that I will not disappoint in this onerous task God has placed on my shoulders. Like you have shown, I am coming thoroughly prepared to hit the ground running from Day One.
8. Let me thank my family, my dear Wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Patience Umo Eno, my wonderful children, their spouses, my siblings and grand-children, my extended family for providing me the comfort and unwavering support and prayers in the face of vile and manufactured lies and propaganda that were concocted against me. I know how emotionally traumatized those moments may have been, but the battle is over now, and I bear no grudges.
9. Let me thank the Church, and Fathers in Faith for your prayers and intercessions. I am one of you, and I pledge to continue to run a Christ-Centric administration where good will always trump evil, and where morality and good conscience will form the building blocks of our administration.
10. To our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), our Chairman, Elder Aniekan Akpan and the State Executive Working Committee, our Campaign Council Director General, H.E. Ambassador Assam Assam (SAN), the members of the Campaign Council and all the Directorates, you all deserve a huge pat on the back for staying true to our convictions and your unyielding dedication to our victory at the polls.
11. To the youths of Akwa Ibom State, thank you for maintaining the peace and taking ownership of the collective destiny and aspirations of our people to live in peace. By your avowed dedication to end violence and embrace peace, we were able to have a very peaceful elections yesterday. Kudos to you all!
12. Let me commend my opponents for putting up a good fight. In any political contest, a winner must emerge and today, it has pleased God to place me as the winner of this contest. I hereby extend an olive branch and my hand of fellowship to all my brothers who contested with me, to join me in building the Akwa Ibom State where the symphonies of peace, development, love, unity and brotherhood would continue to ring louder and bind us all even deeper together.
13. As a pastor, I harbor no hate or animosity towards any one. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “with malice towards none, with charity for all”, I promise to run an all-inclusive government, where no one would be punished or victimized on account of holding a different political opinion.
14. We are all Akwaibomites first and foremost before our political labels. Political parties are vehicles to attain power, they cannot substitute the bond of unity and brotherhood we have all shared for centuries.
15. It is a known fact that politics may have created a gulf of alienation in some sections of our society. I hereby pledge to set up a Reconciliation Committee to bring our brothers and sisters together and look at things that deepen our unity than those that divide us.
16. We have enjoyed peace and security, development across all sectors in the past almost eight years. Governor Udom Emmanuel has given us world- class infrastructure, industries, great healthcare services, tourism, aviation, through Ibom Air, among other great and enduring achievements. We will deploy our resources to the task of building our people, engendering agricultural revolution, stem rural-urban migration and other avenues of wealth creation as clearly outlined in our A.R.I.S.E. Agenda.
17. Akwa Ibom is Rising and it will always be! As we all join hands with one voice to kick-start this journey of our next phase growth and development as a State, I therefore, once again implore us all to jettison all forms of bickering, hatred, malice, blackmail, pull-down syndrome and their attendant retrogressive tendencies, so that we can jointly build the AkwaIbom of our dreams.
18. Thank you for this great opportunity to serve, God bless Akwa Abasi Ibom State, God bless us all!
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