UYO
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Pastor Umo Eno, has thanked God for his nomination and extended hands of fellowship to his fellow contestants.
Eno spoke while giving his acceptance speech after he was declared winner of the 2023 gubernatorial primary of the PDP held at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Wednesday.
He specially thanked God for making the day a reality, and promised Akwa Ibom people and the party that he would continue with the developmental strides of his predecessor, Governor Udom Emmanuel, when elected into office as governor, during 2023 poll.
His words: “I stand here before you, humbled by the grace that has found me, strengthened by invisible hands of the one who has guided and ordered my steps, motivated by the silent whisperings of His endless love, propelled, shielded by His ever protective hands as I accept this onerous task you have just bestowed on me, as the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP for the gubernatorial elections next year.
“To Governor Udom Emmanuel, words fail me to express how profoundly grateful I am to you for seeing in me what others may not have seen, and for the faith in my capacity, character and competence to continue moving and accelerating the pace of development of our dear state which you’ve painstakingly and creatively piloted.
“I am deeply humbled by your endorsement.
“To our great Party and the delegates who have found me worthy of being the flag-bearer, I want to assure you that you made the right choice and that I will not sacrifice this trust and faith you have reposed in me.
“I extend my hands of fellowship to my fellow contestants and urge them to join me in moving our dear state forward. Akwa Ibom State is all we have and we have no place else to call our own. We must be wholly invested in her growth and development.
“We must safeguard and protect jealously the peace we have enjoyed in the last almost seven years. This is our moment of continuity and I know together, and with God’s ever invisible hands, we will continue to overcome and ring true the inspiring words of Barack Obama “Yes, we can!”
The gubernatorial candidate who assured that his team remained committed to running an inclusive campaign based on issues germane to our development, and not on acrimonious posturing, advised the youths not to engage in unholy activities.
“Let me repeat, my story is your story. If I overcame all of life’s vicissitudes to stand before you here today, on this historic moment, believe me, you too, can. Don’t let anyone tell you violence is the way out of your current situation, that joining gangs and unleashing mayhem is the pathway for success.
“I want you to reject such notions and incitements and be inspired by my story. We will run a campaign where the cords of unity and brotherhood will remain the enduring articles of faith. We will not besmirch character or the reputation of our opponents.
“We will not indulge in unsanitized rhetoric, we will focus on the issues that will elevate and hold aloft the ideals of our development, of our unity, of our common purpose and our common essence”
In his remark, the leader of the party in the state, Governor Udom Emmanuel, appreciated all the delegates for a job well done, the Philip Shuaibu Nomination Committee for a smooth exercise and particularly Akwa Ibom youths for maintaining peace throughout the primaries in the state.
“You cannot have it if the youths do not decide you have it. So I really appreciate them. Let me also appreciate other aspirants, all of us have won because we are from one family. Today we have demonstrated that all of us are together.
” Let me reassure them that the man that has been nominated today to be the standard bearer is a peaceful man. He is a man that has capacity. This is the man God has qualified for this time, and I believe we will all join hands together to work so that Akwa Ibom will continue to be a better place.
“All of us will work together towards the success of our great party. One person must be a governor, but so many people must a make government. I want to say here, as one person becomes a governor all of us will make a government.
“So come and join hands and work with us so that we make PDP shine not only in Akwa Ibom, but also in Nigeria. Let me thank Akwa Ibomites wherever they could be watching us online right now, those in Nigeria, in the Diaspora and also reassure them that we’ll keep passing on the torch.
“The light is burning, and no man will quench that light. The light of development, peace, prosperity, growth, unity, brotherhood, togetherness. That light will keep burning”, Udom Emmanuel said.
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