OPINION
By Osondu Ahirika
All Governorship aspirants prayed earnestly to earn the much sought-after endorsement of His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State.
After months of permutations and anxious waiting, he settled for his Commissioner for Lands and Water Resources, Pastor Umo Eno.
The ripple effects are felt statewide. The responses are mixed.
Some rejoiced. Others slumped in annoying grief.
Those who felt dissatisfied scoffed, puffed, whined and cried.
In their groan and prompt of wailing they mock the light-skinned Pastor Umoh Eno with the ALBINO tag.
One abuser labelled him with HALF-ALBINISM. Whatever that means.
This downside should rubs-off badly with every responsible person and woe betide me if I can’t scold the devil’s advocates spreading this troll being timid.
This is not politics but hate speech. It is extremely profane and immoral.
Examined properly, the hate mob using such atrocious expressions only manifest the insanity of their cold and reprobate hearts.
A decent person cannot commit the abomination of body shaming a fellow human he didn’t create hiding this hate-mongering behind politicking.
Body shaming albinos has led to their being preyed upon for inhuman, brutal, ritual massacres.
There’s an alarming increase in the abduction, kidnap, torture and killing of our albino brethren all over Africa including Nigeria.
The hate mob that subject them to suffering , discrimination and molestation are encouraged by this kind of toxic vibe a few are fomenting in the name of political bickering.
That’s the seed of terrorism, apartheid, racism and segregation. Traits that horribly demean our common humanity.
Shame to them who have goofed on this.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) was paralyzed in 1921. He was just 39 years old.
He was twice elected Governor of New York, on November 6, 1928 and November 4, 1930.
Roosevelt won the 1932 presidential election with a landslide and the first (and so far, only) physically disabled person to be President of the United States.
His opponents body shamed him. But he was elected their President and ruled from a wheelchair.
God exalted him above those who considered him invalid just to shut them up and demonstrate his ability to use weak things and confound the mighty.
Pastor Umo Eno is not a cripple. However, with the benefit of hindsight, I’m now persauded, Distinguished Senator Chris Ekpenyong had the misguided ranters peddling the body shaming in mind when he said, “even if Governor Udom Emmanuel brings a ‘Cripple’, we will support him.”
Let me warn those aspirants and their supporters who think, presume and believe, abasing Pastor Umo Eno’s skin colour will give them political leverage of the consequences.
That appalling strategy will backfire and earn him the resolute support of every right thinking humanist and they’re the overwhelming majority.
Stick to issues and sell your vision for the development of the State. Never trade on insults.
Like Martin Luther King said, we should judge a man by the content of his character not his skin colour
The people are cool with Pastor Umo Eno’s skin pigmentation. Simply put,like us, he is wonderfully and fearfully made in God’s image.
That said, here’s another low.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is 84 years old. The Ooni of Ife, His Royal Majesty Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi is 46.
Chief Obasnjo prostrated before the Oni of Ife who is half his age and younger than his first five children.
The same Obasanjo knelt before the young Olu of Warri, HRM Ogiame Atuwatse III, who was crowned on August 21, 2021. The Olu is just 37 years old
The applause was deafening and they hailed Obasanjo for personifying humility and affirmed his good-grooming.
Pastor Umo Eno knelt before his boss Governor Udom Emmanuel in demonstration of gratitude for mentoring and favour
The same crowd shocked us with about-face and cried foul.
Such sickening hypocrisy and double-speak.
A Pastor should not kneel before a Deacon they say, but hailed Jesus as having washed the feet of his disciples.
Wholly considered, Pastor, Deacon, Evangelist and Bishop all belong in the Deaconate.
They also forget the Holy writ that he who must be great should be the least.
Even the father of Joseph and his siblings faced the inevitable summons of fate and ultimately bowed before Joseph whom they despised and sold for his dreams.
He prostrates before the apex traditional ruler of Ibibio Nation (Oku Ibom), His Eminence, Ettenyin Solomon Etuk and the same sanctimonious mob cower in rejection of such courtesy.
I hate nonsense!
Pastor Umo Eno stooped to conquer the enemies inherent in everyman called ego, vainglory and pride.
I urge him to kneel again and again for he that is down needs fear no fall.
For those pushing these baseless narratives, I wager and advise – that’s not how to stop Pastor Umo Eno.
