What actually amazed most people was the unnecessary hype
the promoters of the shameful defection tried to give; they may have
forgotten that these characters are well known to be inconsistent in
Akwa Ibom. It therefore implies that to use the word such as “breaking
news” was unnecessary. They were all bread and butter politicians who
are not interested about the people, but what they can get for
themselves.
This has however confirmed what the speaker of the Akwa
Ibom State House of Assembly, Barr Onofiok Luke once said, that the
political war being experienced in the state today is not that those who
are fighting the government of the day are doing so for the benefit of
the people, but they are fighting the governor purely for their personal
and selfish interest.
To say that the defectors were expired politician of PDP
who are seeking relevance and new life in APC is to say the least. But
that is not the issue for now. They had already decamped from PDP though
not formal. Immediately after Udom emerged the governorship candidate
of the PDP against their selfish interest, they started romancing APC.
What happened at Edet Akpan Avenue last Friday was a formal reception of
the defectors. Their stay in PDP was long overdue. Some of them only
stayed in PDP to protect their appointments, since the tenure of office
was over, they had to metamorphous to another party to maintain
political relevance.
These men are defecting for their personal ambitions. When
one imagines the ignorant supporters they have led astray, what come to
mind is that there may be no end to human slavery. They are only fooling
the ignorant who are so blinded by their lies every election year. The
poor unsuspected supporters are not aware of their dubious agenda. It is
important to note here that these PDP defectors are only playing along
with Umana Okon Umana for what they can get, but very soon the whole
game plan will unfold. Most of them are like waves of the sea, driven
with wind and tossed. In the foolish imagination of their hearts,
getting a favorable judgment from the appeal court is the end for PDP
without taking into account about what may eventually happen at the
Supreme Court. The Supreme Court can act otherwise. It is very uncertain
to celebrate the double standing judgments delivered by the court of
appeal in the 2015 election petitions.
Lest we forget, that it was this same Umana’s governorship
ambition led to the almost impeachment of Nsima Ekere as the then deputy
governor to Akpabio which he immediately resigned. But information has
it that Nsima Ekere was involved in some financial misappropriations
which Umana, then SSG leaked to the House of Assembly and bribed them
heavily to commence impeachment in his bid to crush Nsima’s 2015
governorship ambition. This is one of the many desperate bids of Umana
Umana to emerge the only governorship candidate of PDP in 2015.
Ekere is only playing along with Umana in APC based on what
he can get from his bosom friend who is the current Minister of
Transport, Rotimi Ameachi. Already, he has been able to secure a
contract deal with Amaechi. He sees APC as an advantage for him because
of the prominent role Amaechi played in the emergence of President
Buhari. He intends to explore his long standing relationship with the
transport minister to get APC ticket in 2019.
Nsima Ekere is strictly on his personal ambition in APC. He
believes he stand a chance of getting the party ticket in 2019 since
zoning arrangement in the state favours him.
Another person who is also interested in the APC
governorship ticket in 2019 is the International President of the
defunct AKPF, Bishop Samuel Akpan. His game plan is to ensure that Umana
does not succeed so that he can explore his connections with the
chieftains of the party in Abuja to throw him up in 2019 as the party
candidate. This, he is doing based on the existing zoning arrangement in
the state which will form his strong point for power negotiation in
2019. Sam Akpan is a known advocate and a believer of zoning in Akwa
Ibom.
As for Eseme Eyiboh, his interest in APC is to reinvigorate
and repackage his already battered public image for his return to the
Federal House of Representatives in 2019. He believes his stay in PDP
will never enhance his ambition, hence his defection to the APC so that
he can use his Abuja connection to get the party ticket, and run a
mainstream politics propaganda to win people’s votes. He is known as one
of the greediest politicians in Akwa Ibom. Eyiboh does not believe in
empowering the people since he has his way of maneuvering and win
elections.
He believes in hiring prostitutes for his constituents who
visits him in Abuja. Because he is crafty in nature, he has chosen
gambling as his major occupation which every other businesses are
appendage of that. Sadly, Eseme Eyiboh has allowed this gambling spirit
into his political life. Most people in Eket now see him as a 419 that
one has to be very careful when dealing with. He only appears during
election to deceive people and get their votes. With a character like
Eyiboh in APC, certainly there is nothing to celebrate. Instead of
giving a boost, it will rather make the party questionable and
unproductive.
Akwa Ibom people cannot forget in a hurry the demeaning
former speaker of the House of Assembly, Engr Ignatius Edet who was
almost impeached by members before his resignation. Edet who has no
regard or respect for anybody not even his colleague’s persistently
squandered money he was supposed to share with his colleagues. He saw
his speakership of the house as something nobody can challenge, and it
never occurred to him that he was only one amongst equals. That was why
in his day of destruction, irrespective of the fact that Governor
Akpabio who loves him so much restored all the entitlements of members
which Edet had squandered, it still could not save him because all
members were united in their decisions to impeach the cocky speaker.
He is one man that loves power so much, immediately after
his resignation, Edet abandoned his seat in the Assembly till the end of
that tenure, and so network three two came to an end in Ibiono. He was
later appointed chairman of Uyo Capital City Development Authority
UCCDA, and towards the end of Akpabio’s tenure, he was appointed
commissioner. Since he is one man who cannot stay without power and the
present government had not given him power yet, hence his defection to
APC. It is important to understand that the so called PDP defectors to
APC are for their pockets not for the interest of the ordinary citizens
of this state.
As for the former chairman of Ibesikpo Asutan, Apostle Ekpe
James, he has never taken any personal political decision since he
swore an evil oath with Bishop Sam Akpan in 2007. Not long ago, he
confided this on his Brotherhood brother who is loyal to Governor Udom
Emmanuel that the oath he took with Akpan will not allow him to support
Udom. Ekpe James is still under that mbiam spell and cannot do
otherwise. He sees Akpan as the architect of his political fortune who
singled handedly made him a chapter chairman of PDP and installed him as
the chairman of council in 2012.
These people are not defecting from PDP because they were
not allow to empower the people and bring development to Akwa Ibom
state, they are defecting simply because they could not get what they
wanted for themselves. This has nothing to do with the common citizens
of this state. So why should people then border about those who are
angry because they are not making millions from government again to
spend on prostitutes? That era has passed away; this time is for the
common people whom these defectors have deprived of their rights for
years. This is why they are angry with Governor Udom Emmanuel.
With these characters being porched out of PDP, it’s a big
relief for the party. It is true that 80 percent of those in APC today
are politicians that have completely lost their goodwill from the
people.
They are only living on past glory without a commensurate
impact. For example, Senator Aloysius Etok who last year contested for
chairmanship of Akwa Ibom State Football Association was massively
defeated by a man who has never contested election in his local
government. This is a clear indication that Aloysius Etok cannot even
win election as councilor in his ward.
Akwa Ibom people know these men that they don’t represent
the people’s interest but their pockets. If politics has anything to do
with integrity and goodwill, then their presence in APC is only disaster
and doom for the party.
Like Etok, other defectors are in the same class. None of
them can actually contest election in their local government and win.
There is absolutely nothing in these men to celebrate about. They are
nothing but liabilities to the party.
For the Abuja forces in APC who are bent on truncating the
peace, unity, and equitable disposition in Akwa Ibom state, the
Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel has send strong words to them. It is the
people of Eket Senatorial District who produce 40 percent of the
resources in Nigeria that should be angry. They have not had the
opportunity since the creation of Akwa Ibom State 28 years ago to
produce a governor. Today, Akwa Ibom is the highest oil producing state
in Nigeria, all from Eket Senatorial District, and not even a drop from
Uyo and Ikot Ekpene Senatorial Districts. Yet, they are deprived from
what rightly belongs to them. But the mammoth pool of supporters who
thronged Eket township stadium last Saturday to celebrate with the
governor was a strong indication of the fact that Eket people have
united in one accord to take possession of what belongs to them. They
have resolved that the battle is not for Governor Udom Emmanuel alone,
but that of Eket Senatorial District.
All the APC evil antics to disrupt the peaceful political
arrangement in the state will certainly fail because what is morally
wrong cannot be politically right.
Joseph Okon is an Uyo based journalist.
Media DirectorateAkwa Ibom Divine Mandate Team
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