Akwa Ibom Chapter Chairmen and Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have risen from a meeting in Uyo to congratulate the Governor-elect Udom Emmanuel just as they commend the general elections in the State and described the process as generally credible.

The APC chieftains, therefore, urged their governorship candidate Mr. Umana Umana to follow President Goodluck Jonathan’s example by conceding defeat and joining forces with the incoming governor to develop the state.

In a media briefing titled, Now That Akwa Ibom People Have Spoken, the APC chapter chairmen numbering 17 and some stakeholders of the party told journalists that they were confident that the outcome of both the presidential and state governorship elections were the decision of God.

The spokesman for the group and APC chapter chairman for Ini local government Mr. Uwem Ikamanyin Udo, who read the decisions of the chapter chairmen, averred, “Let us put it on record that we in APC came into the elections with full intentions to convince and win the hearts of Akwa Ibom people and to emerge victorious.

“That was why we engaged in several electioneering campaigns across all the local government areas of the State. In their response, the people have not spoken the way we wanted, but they have spoken all the same and we believe in the popular Roman aphorism, “Vox populi, vox Dei” (the voice of the people, is the voice of God).”

The APC Chapter Chairmen noted: “Election is not a do or die affair we immediately advise Mr. Umana Okon Umana to immediately follow the wind of politics without bitterness and commit himself to work with the governor-elect Mr. Udom Emmanuel to make our state a better place.”

As committed members and LGA chapter chairmen of the All Progressives Congress, they said that they “consider it both a moral duty and a patriotic obligation to identify with Mr. Udom Emmanuel, the elected Governor of Akwa Ibom State,” and “pray God to give him the grace to take our dear state to the next level.”

They also congratulated Governor Godswill Akpabio on his services to the state and for emerging as the Senator-elect for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District.

They similarly congratulated all the elected members of the National and State Assemblies and charged them to work hard to justify the confidence of the electorate.

Fielding questions from newsmen at the media briefing, the APC chairman of chairmen and chapter chairman of Essien Udim local government area Mr. Monday Jackson took a swipe at the alleged European observers saying: “We do not know where their report came from because we were present at our various local government areas and from what we saw on ground, the elections were free, fair and peaceful. We condemn the European observers report.”

Also speaking, the Ikot Ekpene APC Chapter chairman Akpaniko Solomon Udoh also revealed that, “there were so much crises in APC, we had a lot of problems in our party. For instance our candidate Umana Umana made a blunder by bringing an unknown sycophantic group called IDM, Ibom Democratic movement to run the affairs of the party. IDM brought confusion and was largely responsible for our defeat.”

“Today we are following in the footsteps of President Jonathan who despite numerous hitches came out openly to congratulate Buhari. We today APC Leaders congratulate Mr. Udom Emmanuel for his overwhelming victory at the polls,” he said.

It would be recalled that the Labour Party, the Accord Party and others had earlier congratulated the Governor-elect Mr. Udom Emmanuel

•Photo shows Uwem Ikamanyin Udo APC Chapter Chairman in Ini reading the text of the press briefing while Monday Jackson the APC Chairman of Essien Udim(L) and Akpaniko Udo, APC Chairman in Ikot Ekpene look on.