ONNA Must Stop Destroying it’s own over politics, Bishop Udonsek Warns 

ONNA Must Stop Destroying it’s own over politics, Bishop Udonsek Warns 

The Diocesan Bishop of Christ Army Church (GBC), Akwa Ibom State, Bishop (Dr) David E. Udonsek, MNSE, has called on the people of Onna Local Government Area to end political bitterness, intolerance and the practice of pulling down their fellow indigenes because of political differences.

Udonsek made the call in a message to the people of Onna against the backdrop of what he described as growing hostility among brothers and sisters in the local government arising from political affiliations and disagreements.

The Bishop, who said recent comments directed at him on a social media platform had compelled him to speak, stressed that political differences should not turn one Onna indigene against another.

According to him, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are merely political parties which would come and go, while Onna would remain and its people would continue to be brothers and sisters.

“No political party should make one ONNA son an enemy of another,” he stated, adding that political disagreements should never degenerate into hatred, intimidation or character assassination.

He described the growing culture of bitterness and deliberate attempts to undermine successful sons and daughters of Onna as “self-destruction”, warning that the community could not make meaningful progress while its people were busy fighting one another.

Udonsek recalled the contributions of prominent Onna indigenes who had attained important positions in Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria, citing the late Governor Clement Isong, who served as the first Nigerian Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and later Governor of the former South-Eastern State.

He also cited the late Obong Ufot Ekaette, who served as Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State and later became Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The Bishop said such achievements should be sources of pride and opportunities for the younger generation rather than occasions for rivalry and hostility.

He questioned the benefits of destroying successful members of the community instead of leveraging their experience, influence and connections for the development of Onna.

“When one of us succeeds, ONNA should see an opportunity, not a threat,” he declared.

The cleric also appealed to the people of Onna not to repeat what he described as past mistakes, particularly in their attitude towards prominent sons who had attained high political offices.

He specifically referred to former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Udom Emmanuel, an Onna indigene, saying that while citizens were free to support or oppose him politically, his emergence as Governor should be recognised as a historic achievement for the people of the local government.

He contrasted this with the situation in Nsit Ubium, where, according to him, the emergence of its son, Pastor Umo Eno, as Governor had brought visibility, influence and opportunities to the local government.

Udonsek urged Onna people to adopt a similar mindset by viewing the success of their sons and daughters as potential blessings to the entire community.

The Bishop declared that he would not participate in what he described as the destruction of an Onna son or daughter because of political differences.

“I will not participate in destroying an ONNA son or daughter because of politics. I will not celebrate the downfall of my own people,” he said.

He, however, maintained that his position on politics remained his personal conviction and that he would not be intimidated into abandoning it.

According to him, people had the right to disagree with or criticise his political position, but such disagreement should not become a basis for hatred.

He warned that political power and political parties were temporary, stressing that offices would change hands, but the consequences of hatred created among members of a community could endure for generations.

Udonsek further challenged the people of Onna to abandon the mentality of “pull him down because he is not on my side”, arguing that the community could not demand development while simultaneously undermining its own people.

“We cannot demand development while fighting ourselves,” he said, adding that the community should instead explore how the influence and achievements of its successful sons and daughters could create opportunities for others.

He called for a culture of constructive disagreement, peaceful political competition and responsible criticism.

The Bishop urged the people to “embrace our own, celebrate our own, encourage our own and promote our own,” insisting that he would continue to speak against hatred, bitterness, intimidation and the deliberate destruction of Onna indigenes.

“ONNA belongs to all of us. No political party owns ONNA, and no individual owns the conscience of our people,” he declared.

He called on the people to choose brotherhood over political warfare, development over destruction, and unity over bitterness, stressing that the future of Onna depended on collective effort.

©️ 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗨𝗱𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗸 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮.