Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has asked Nigerians to choose peace and not violence during the forthcoming general elections.
The governor told Nigerians that there is no political ambition that is worth the peace of the state and the sacredness of life, adding that power belongs to God and He alone decides whom to favour.
In an Easter message broadcast to the state on Sunday in Uyo, Emmanuel stated that Akwa Ibom would not return to the years where kidnapping and politically motivated killings questioned the primary purpose of government, which is the security of lives and property.
He appealed to the people to avoid hatred, ethnicity, anger, and its related divisive tendencies, and to reject anyone who markets violence.
He urged them to focus on the unfailing love of God for man which the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ represent, even as political tension mounts in the state and the cracks in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) party widens.
“There is no political office that should compel us to shed the blood of our brothers or sisters. There is no ambition that is so deep and sacred that we would be willing to turn our State into a cauldron of violence, in order to satisfy our craving for power. All powers belong to God and He alone, grants such to whom He has favoured.
“Akwa Ibom has in the past seven years, remained an oasis of peace and tranquillity, and on this, I salute our resourceful youths who have decided to maintain the peace and invest in the future that is about to dawn – a future of plenty, a future of fulfilment and a future of growth and development.
“We will never go back to the years of violence and the years where we couldn’t sleep with our eyes closed. We will not return to the years where kidnapping and politically motivated killings numbed our sensibilities and made us question the central purpose of governance, which is the security of lives and property.
“Akwa Ibom people have collectively and unanimously said goodbye to those years and have welcomed the era of peace and security. Anyone who markets violence should and must be rejected.
“My fellow Akwaibomites, as we reflect on the unflinching love for mankind which the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ represent, I again urge you to eschew hatred, ethnicity, anger and all forms of divisive tendencies from our body-politic.
“Let us continue to join hands to build the Akwa Ibom State of our dream and secure a future of prosperity, peace and growth for our children and generations yet unborn,” he stated.
