Ibibios are minority: Obolo politician mocks Udom Emmanuel
By Item Etete
A serving councilor and politician in Eastern Obolo, Hon. Victor Arthur has sparked significant outrage in sections of the state’s online community after he posted an apparent mocking message to disparage the State Governor and indeed, all Ibibio by claiming the ‘Ibibio are a minority and inconsequential in Eket Senatorial District’.
The Councilor, a close friend of the Member, representing Ikot Abasi/Mkpat Enin/ Eastern Obolo Federal Constituency, Hon. Francis Charles Uduyok, made the now widely condemned comment in a Facebook post of another of Uduyok’s very close ally and Adviser, Etido Udowo who had innocuously and rightly stated that, personally he will share in the generally accepted sentiments of an Ibibio ticket in the 2023 Eket Senatorial race.
The comment by Victor, it is alleged, is motivated by frequent indoctrinations by certain political figures in Eastern Obolo who, with 2023 in view, have been reported to have continually held clandestine meetings with the agenda to mock and unsettle the governor, who is a proud son of Ibibio behind close doors, daring that even with his status as the State’s Executive, he according to them, ‘won’t do anything’ in the fast approaching 2023 general elections.
They ridiculously claim that Obolo, which covers only a part of Eastern Obolo and some very negligible fractions in Ibeno have somewhat dramatically become a majority to the Ibibio, who occupy Onna, Mkpat, Ikot Abasi, and parts of Eket and Eastern Obolo respectively just to spite the State Executive and indeed, all of Ibibio.
The comment from Victor, which came just hours after himself and a few other political figures in the area held a meeting in Okoroette, has further confirmed series of insinuations of plots by some highly placed persons to whip up ethnic sentiments in the run ins to the 2023 Eket Senatorial District race, a situation that has the propensity to cause considerable rancour in the Governor’s immediate constituency.
While condemning Victor’s unguarded utterances, political analysts, opinion and youth leaders in the senatorial district have appealed to the Governor Udom to call Victor and the rest ilk of other desperate politicians and jobbers in the area to order so that they don’t unnecessarily hit up the polity of the usually peaceful senatorial district urging political gladiators to understand that power ultimately belongs to God and the will of the people.
