The leadership of the Ibibio Traditional Council in Akwa Ibom State has declared full confidence in the leadership of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, describing him as “well known to us, the people of Akwa Ibom State and we know what he can do.”

The Oku Ibom Ibibio and President-General of the Akwa Ibom State Traditional Rulers Council, His Eminence, Ntenyin (Dr.) Solomon Daniel Etuk, made the remarks on Friday when he received the Senate President and his entourage, including members of the National Assembly, at his palace in Nsit Ubium.

In a statement issued in Abuja by the Special Assistant to the Senate President on Media, Jackson Udom, Akpabio also reaffirmed his commitment to peace and pledged 100 per cent support for Governor Umo Eno’s second-term bid.

Welcoming the Senate President, whom he fondly referred to as “my son,” Ntenyin Etuk said: “This is our son and we, as a people, are very happy to receive him in this palace. We know what he can do and we are very proud of his achievements in his current office as the Senate President.”

The monarch, in an apparent reference to critics of Akpabio on social media, emphasized that the people of Akwa Ibom knew his true character.

“I am delighted to have you and your colleagues in this Palace. You have come to pay homage to your fathers here. We know you. We know who Godswill Obot Akpabio is. We testify that we know who you are. If we don’t know who you are, it therefore means we are not yours.”

He added: “As a king, I know every of my children. I know the good and I know the bad ones, but the good and the bad should stay together with the hope that they will change for good in the future.

“As a child of grace, we have seen where grace has led you to. When you get back to Abuja, thank President Bola Tinubu for us. Anything that is good is good. We, as a people, are happy that he is carrying you along in the administration of this country. To whom much is given, much is expected, and one good turn deserves another.”

Read Also

The traditional ruler also urged the Senate President to help actualize the long-awaited Ibom Seaport project and commended the National Assembly for its recent passage of the bill on the defilement of minors.

In his remarks, Akpabio expressed gratitude to the monarchs for their warm reception, even on short notice, describing Ntenyin Etuk as “a man of peace.”

“I am very happy to be here and I thank you, my fathers, for this grand reception of me and my entourage even at a very short notice. I am here today with my colleagues and family members, which shows that I am from here and my home is intact,” Akpabio said.

READ ALSO: Senate Will Not Allow Any Lawmaker to Hold It “Hostage” – Akpabio

He added: “Let me thank you for being a peace-loving father. You are a man of peace. The most costly peace is better than the cheapest war. I made an appeal to him without seeing him physically and he listened to me, and today there is peace in Akwa Ibom State. Kindly extend my greetings to your son, my governor and our leader, Pastor Umo Eno, another man of peace, who not only says it but does it.”

Akpabio said his visit was a “major reconciliation move” aimed at rekindling peace and unity among the people of the state.

“Akwa Ibom State under Governor Umo Eno is united because of his decision to link us to the centre by joining the APC. Let me assure you that I will support him 100 per cent to succeed as a second-term governor,” he stated.

He dismissed critics and political detractors, adding: “Don’t listen to nay sayers and blackmailers. We are solidly behind him, and that was why, immediately he joined the APC, I personally handed over the structure of the party in the state to him, because when I was the governor, I controlled the structure. I will continue to work for the peace, unity, and development of Akwa Ibom State.”

At the end of the visit, the royal fathers offered prayers for Akpabio, his family, and his continued success in office.