Otobong Nsekpong
At the 2024 Armed Forces Remembrance day celebration grand finale at Etinan local government cenotaph, an old friend asked me a question I couldn’t find an immediate answer. She had asked ‘so you people can attend event in this number’ in Etinan?
Until I was asked that question from someone who is also a staff of the Council, I thought I was the only one who was not a regular visitor to events organized by the council. I was therefore taken aback to realize that like me, many others were no longer attending events of the Council.
I also recalled my discussion with the PDP chairman in my Ward after Honourable Uko Umoh was announced the chairman, Etinan Transition Committee in 2023. According to him, it was only Honourable Uko Umoh who remembered the party during the 2022 Christmas celebration. To put it clearly, he was the only one that gave us rice last Christmas.
To him, no other person deserved the seat more than Hon. Uko Umoh because of his benevolence nature. Though he may appear a tough guy from a distance, he remains one of the most sympathetic leaders of contemporary times.
After nine months of exceptional display of leadership at its best as Chairman, Transition Committee, Hon Uko Umoh was overwhelmingly elected for a three year mandate in October 2024 as the executive chairman of the council.
In a little over one year in office, he has shown that he has the capacity to mobilize people towards the success of a common course. He remains the same grassroot mobilizer that he has been over the years notwithstanding the paraphernalia of the office as the executive chairman. In fact, his zeal on the contrary, has increased as he has gained mastery in the game of political mobilization. At a snap of his fingers, he can comfortably boast of a crowd of five thousand people.
The recent alignment of Akwa Ibom political interest with the political party at the centre was another litmus test for the people’s chairman as he seamlessly aligned the people of Etinan with the state’s interest ahead of the next circle of elections.
Effortlessly, political stakeholders of Etinan local government marched in one line because there is a zealous mobilizer ahead to give clear direction.
At the launch of ARISE Women in Etinan and the recent visit of the Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi PhD, to Etinan on civic responsibility sensitization tour, Hon Uko Umoh proved himself a dependable ally in the area of political mobilization.
With his selfless and down to earth approach to mobilization, the era of acrimony, bitterness and fight after mobilization is gone in the politics of Etinan local government area. A striking case at hand was a woman who found herself in the Hall of Millennium, venue of the the sensitization tour without an invitation or ARISE wrapper for easy identification but was equally demobilized at the end of the event courtesy of Honourable Uko Umoh’s benevolence.
As the Independent National Electoral Commission has released timetable for the 2027 elections, it is save to say that Etinan voters know the way to go being the direction shown by Honourable Uko Umoh.
With other time tested mobilizers from Etinan local government area, it will be a harvest of votes for the governor’s reelection and all APC candidates from the area.
It is therefore important that all must rally round Hon. Uko Umoh, stay united as a bundle of broom and pursue a common purpose of delivering massive votes for the APC in next year’s election. We cannot initiate a fight among ourselves at this critical moment when all attention should focus on guaranteeing our governor and all APC candidates overwhelming victory at the polls.
