Bola Tinubu, Udom is Not a Boy

Please sir, let me state very clearly that all 7.9million Akwa Ibomites find those comments about our Governor, His Excellency, Governor Emmanuel Udom abhorrent and unacceptable.

The statements ascribed to you- wait not ascribed because we all saw the videos and heard the soundbites where you had called our Governor that boy… and continued by saying that, “he lived in my backyard, I for drive am…” And then said, “that one wey dey call himself Governor is not only sad, but quite unfortunate.”

You see, we understand why and how you can call the one in your real backyard, ‘Eleyi’ but we really cannot understand why you would call our own, ‘that boy’. You had no hands in his election, no say in his government and no input in how or why he does the things he does. So, coming to pour mud on him and the generality of our people beats my imagination.

The ones who stood by you and clapped for you in that stadium that afternoon have only proven that people who are not sure of their parental odyssey flock together. How, for the life of me, will a true blooded Akwa Ibomite stand there and be clapping as our heritage is smeared and muddied on the altar of partisan politics.

It is very clear that I do not stand with Udom. In fact, my candidate for his replacement belongs to the APC but a slap on Akwa Ibom is a slap on Akwa Ibom. All Akwa Ibomites must come together and resist this latest in a series of derogatory remarks and look down on a very proud people.

It is not today that the Akwa Ibomites are being made an object of ridicule. In Nollywood, we are perpetual houseboys and housemaids. The other day, I saw a TVC by a big telco where the Akwa Ibom man was the houseboy to a Yoruba family and he made a slight mistake and the Yoruba mother of the house knocked the Akwa Ibom man fully on his head and called him, ‘stupid Calabar boy’. This was a full-grown man that had been diminished to a state of servitude, and they expected us to buy their stupid recharge cards. The fact that Akwa Ibom was an early investor did not make them think beyond their ineptitude.

I wrote very angrily and they reached out and begged that they had spent millions on the campaign and I said, ‘to hell’. That I will continue railing and abusing them until they drop it. Thankfully they did.

See Mr. Tinubu, our Governor is not a boy. He is a full-grown distinguished banker. We know his parentage. We know his village, we know all the schools he went to, we know everywhere he worked and he has not forfeited any money to any government under whatever guise and no bullion van has mistakenly entered his compound. He is a well-respected, dignified and brilliant true blood Akwa Ibom son. Although he too can be funny with his very funny policies and an ill-conceived succession plan, still leave am. He is our Governor and not anybody’s boy let alone of being your boy. I think an apology at this point is needed. Thank you, Sir.