Ignore Allegation of Certificate Forgery against Me, A’Ibom PDP Guber Candidate Tells Supporters
Okon Bassey
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Umo Bassey Eno has vowed to withdraw from the 2023 governorship race in the state and resign his position as a Pastor in the church if the West African Examination Council (WAEC) attests that he forged his certificates.
Eno was dragged to court over alleged certificates forgery after the party’s primary by another gubernatorial aspirant who lost out, Mr. Akan Okon.
The PDP governorship candidate spoke in Uyo, during an event organised by the Pure Umo Royalty Eno Group (Sad da Initiative).
“Anything you see on social media about my WAEC certificates is a mere distraction. If WAEC says that I, Umo Bassey Eno, have forged my certificate in 1981, or 1983 and it is proven, I will not only quit being a gubernatorial candidate, I’ll quit being a Pastor.
“Let people rant all they want to rant, but let them also know that it is emboldening me and empowering me to go on.
“Everything they do is not going to distract me, what they are doing is the fuel needed to move me to the next level. There is no other commitment anyone would give than that which I have said today; my pastoral calling is not less important to me than serving the people of Akwa Ibom state.”
According to him, his strict parental upbringing would never have permitted him to forge his certificates.
He also said there was nothing wrong in re-sitting an exam to make up for papers he had failed, saying his story was that of resilience and focus despite the situation he found himself.
He charged youths who attended the event not to be afraid of failure but be resilient enough to pick themselves up and move on.
“In 1981, 41 years ago, I never planned to be the governor of Akwa Ibom state, I was barely 17 years old and knowing the kind of parents I had, I would never have thought of forging, it never crossed my mind, it was not even in the lexicon at the time.
“There is nothing wrong in trying an exam under the circumstances I grew up in and then you go to take the exam again and pass the same subject.
“There is nothing wrong in failure, what is wrong is staying down. There is something good about falling and rising, that is the story every young person must learn from me; that you can fall but you do not stay down, you grow and move on.”
The PDP standard bearer urged the people to inquire what developmental plans other people seeking to lead them would bring to the table if given the opportunity to serve in any capacity.
He tasked the people of the state to choose someone who would champion job creation, eradicate unemployment and lead the state to prosperity.
Eno lauded Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration for opening the three gateways; air, land and sea to expand the economy of the State.
He said the people of the state needed to build their own economy, create jobs for the young people and put them to work so that they could enjoy the numerous facilities created by the Udom Emmanuel administration.
He said the state needs a man who would create jobs, saying such a man must show how he has created jobs in the past, confidently stating that he has contributed to the economy of the state more than any other person in the gubernatorial race.
Eno promised to create jobs in the private sector for over 10,000 Akwa Ibom people who are willing to work hard in his first year as the governor of the state.
