2015 GUBER; WHO AND WHERE ARE THE IBIBIOS? BY TOROBONG EKPO 08093418330 (TEXT ONLY) Quite a good number of the People’s Democratic Party members in the state have tended to dismiss the principle of zoning of public office as entrenched in section 7 (c) of the party’s constitution, by attaching tribal sentiments to the forth coming gubernatorial election in the state. For instance, an ex-PDP state official of the Ibibio extraction was quoted to have said that, ‘after Godswill Akpabio, no other tribe should be given an opportunity to govern except the Ibibio tribe, because we are the majority and cannot afford to stay out of Governance for 16 years’ Another politician from Ibibio openly declared in a stakeholders meeting ‘we are supporting the Ibibio cause in 2015 Gubernatorial not zoning’ The Oro nation is not left out of this romance with tribal sentiment, as the chairman of Oro Think Tank, Mr. Usung during a press briefing held recently insisted that the next governor of Akwa Ibom State should be a product of Oro nation. Other Oro nationals claim that the state stands on a tripod- Ibibio, Annang and Oro, hence, they advocate that the next governor of the state should come from Oro since the Ibibio and Annang have taken their turn. There is no gainsaying that these views are fallacious. However, one needs to know that, basing the choice of the next governor of Akwa ibom state on tribal sentiment is not only barbaric and primitive, but brings about disunity among the people. Though Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio, an apex socio cultural group in Ibibio nation has not publicly declared its position in respect to 2015 governorship election, but there has been widespread speculations that, the Ibibio nation has endorsed a consensus candidate from Eket Senatorial District. The candidate, a former aspirant in 2007 gubernatorial election who eventually took active part in the present administration is said to currently enjoy the support of the paramount rulers in Ibibio land as well as that of tribally-induced politicians from Annang nation. A Peoples Democratic Party stalwart from Ikot Ekpene senatorial district who barred an Ibibio candidate in 2011 from campaigning in Ikot Ekpene local government is said to have donated an office accommodation to this Ibibio consensus candidate. One wonders why a tribal warlord who through his utterance spearheaded bloodbath which led to the killing of Ibibio sons and daughters should handpick another Ibibio man as consensus candidate and even donated an office accommodation to the candidate. Other former lieutenants to the state governor who were sacked have also donated bus, office and cash in support of this Ibibio Consensus candidate. A personal aide to this Ibibio consensus governorship candidate insisted that as soon as his boss takes oath of office as Governor in 2015, he will take revenge on the state governor and members of Akwa Ibom State house of assembly, for plotting evil against him. While the Ibibio consensus candidate is said to be declaring by January, a conglomeration of aggrieved members of the present administration who felt unhappy with the Akpabio led administration have been elected as local government coordinators with a sum of five million naira given to each of them for mobilization. Ndifreke Idio, Aniefiok Esu and Bassey Antia, all graduates of tertiary institutions, who narrated the ordeals they faced in the hands of the tribally-induced politician from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district said, ‘Immediately we graduated from the university, he asked us to apply for positions in his companies, he promised huge salary, furniture, bedroom, and other allowances, we perceived a fulfillment of dreams of getting married at younger age, buying cars, building houses among others, but he left us just like that, without paying our salary for over two years, he has not also paid any of our colleague including the media men he employed, at present, we are told that, he has decided to use the media office as campaign organization for a consensus Ibibio governorship aspirant. ‘This is the same politician that barred an Ibibio candidate from contesting in Annang land in 2011 gubernatorial election.’ I see no reason, why the state governor Chief Dr. Godswill Akpabio who has transformed this state from its pedestrian to a destination status, should be rewarded in such a cruel manner by the Ibibios who have nominated a consensus candidate as an avenue of seeking revenge on the governor. Ibibio, being the largest tribe in the state should not fan the embers of division, rather it should search for, and support a credible candidate who will have the interest of the people at heart. As a nation, Ibibio needs to define their role in governance. A situation where some groups of self-centered humans have began to mount undue pressure on the state with a view of obtaining the Ibibio mandate by false pretence is diabolic. It is not pleasant to hear that, such a man who was reported in print and electronic media to have caused mayhem in 2011 election should have decided to choose his caliber as a consensus Ibibio candidate. Akwa Ibom State is one, hence needs no ethnic division. Whether it is rumoured or real, the apex Ibibio cultural group should address the issue of Consensus Ibibio candidate once and for all.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 07:16:39 +0000
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