APPRAISING THE PDP, APC APPROACH TO 2015 ELECTION Joseph Okon Akwa Ibom state is one of the states in the Federation that is on the match again for the 2015 general election, as it has always been traditionally, the state is practically a one party state which is the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP and the opposition party, now it is the All Progressive Congress APC apart from other micro political parties that only exist on records. Over the years, both the state and National level, the opposition parties who tried to retrieve power from the ruling party have employed a lot of tactics to win election at all cost. In 2011, the unguarded public out bust of General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change CPC who threatened to make Nigeria ungovernable if he lost the 2011 election make him to be seen as a culprit in the face of Boko Haram insurgence challenges facing Nigeria today. His violence charge on electorates to lynch in the course of protecting their votes caused a lot of destructions to lives and properties during the 2011 election. Recently, the opposition APC which has Buhari as their presidential candidate for the 2015 general election has again threaten to form a parallel government if he loses the 2015 election to PDP again. In Akwa Ibom state, ever since the former secretary to the state government, Mr Umana Okon Umana who served as SSG to the incumbent governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio for almost 7 years left the ruling PDP in search for his political greener pasture in the All Progressive Congress, the once loyal SSG and a strong supporter of Governor Akpabio has suddenly turn himself into a rebel because of his quest to become governor of Akwa Ibom State at all cost. Being in the opposition does not mean that one should become a rebel, it has become a characteristic of the opposition parties in Nigeria that the moment one is in the opposition party, and he or she cannot see anything good about the party or government in power even the one they were serving before they join the opposition. Abusing the government in power has always been the hallmark of opposition, using violence, words that can cause war, ethnicity and making comments that can cause disunity especially as the 2015 election approaches has become the opposition strategy. A good example of this is the many public out bust of the APC governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom state who served under the present government close to 7 years as secretary to the state government. Politicians playing opposition in Akwa Ibom state has taken the 2015 governorship election to the extreme, they make comments and statement that make one question their sincerity and honesty. It was so unfortunate to hear the careless and desperate ranting of the APC governorship candidate, Mr Umana Okon Umana castigating abusing Governor Akpabio’s government he served for almost 7 years without seeing anything wrong with it, but because the party zoning denied him of the 2015 governorship nomination under the PDP, it automatically turned Umana into an activist condemning the administration he saw nothing wrong. The government was so good then; in fact the best as long as it was able to accommodate Umana, but Akpabio’s government became so bad immediately it could no longer accommodate Umana who built an empire of money for himself and family storing Akwa Ibom monies that were meant for development. He fraudulently syphoned money while serving as the secretary to the state government, but when Umana was removed from office a year ago, he then saw nothing good about Akpbio’s government again, all in the name of politics; then who is fooling who? It was unlike a statesman whom Umana was supposed to demonstrate, to hear him run his mouth about Akpabio’s poor performance in the state when in reality; the governor is one of the most performing governors ever in Nigeria which Umana at some points has attested to this fact. Imagine somebody who sat as the chairman of Finance and General Purpose Committee, FGPC accusing the administration he was part of in terms of planning and execution of contracts and projects for over 6 years of refurbishing and repainting old projects to commission again, does this sound logical or intelligent? Believe me it sounds very stupid of Umana to make such baseless comment. He was indirectly exposing his fraudulent activities in government and how he acquired all the monies he has been spending in his desperate governorship ambition. If a man that was in charge of planning, allocation and execution of projects as the chairman of FGPC then could turn back and make such comment, it therefore stands to reason that Umana is a partner in the crime which should be arrested and prosecute for fraud. The governor who gave an order that such project be done may not have been interested on how the implementation was carried out because he has a lot to look at while Umana exploited the opportunity to defraud Akwa Ibom people by awarding contracts to his bank accounts. Akwa Ibom people should ask Umana who was in charge of awarding those minor contracts then, and how much interest did he collect from the contractors both local and international? He should tell Akwa Ibom people how much he stooled from the government purse that has stalled development in so many areas in the state. He should come and render an account on how many times the government has borrowed because of Umana’s extravagant lifestyle. Permit me to say that if anybody should accuse Akpabio of inadequacies, certainly not Umana. The people of Akwa Ibom have not made him their spokesman. Is this the type of governor that we want? A man who cannot say the truth, a man who distorted facts to suit his political ideology? A man who sees black and call white and cannot say the truth no matter how small, a pretender who believes that election is all about money? Throughout his stay in office as SSG, he collected huge amount of money from contractors before they can get any contract except those from his stock. Leaders are judge by their utterances and the way they conduct themselves, but Umana is one man who cannot conduct or moderate his public utterances, seeking election does not make one to behave like a rebel, or is Umana now frustrated that Udom will defeat him so he use this opportunity to insult him? Oppositions in Akwa Ibom do not know that they are their own problem, they so much believe in propaganda and blackmail. That was the same strategy Udoedehe used in 2011, when he appeared on Television or Radio, instead of unfolding his manifesto and tell the people how he will govern the state better than the incumbent, he rather use the opportunity to abuse the governor, tell people how much comes into the state without any vision or mission plan of his own. It is sad that Umana who saw how Udoedehe was massively defeated without a court case, has also adopted the same strategy of promoting Udom and Akpabio on air instead of telling Akwa Ibom people what he will do. You cannot do the same thing all the time and expect a different result. He does not yet realized that the state has moved away from that era of propaganda and petty politics of blackmail, to an issue and agenda setting politics, this is lacking in the opposition. They think they can play on the sensibility of people all the times for their selfish gains not knowing that there is a new order now. When he fail the governorship election he is about to fail, he will turn back to accuse the ruling party which is very stable and focus in their campaigns of being responsible to their misfortune. Umana has never told Akwa Ibom people how he will give them industries, how he will reduce the over dependent on oil in the state and diversify the economy of the state to generate employment and create wealth, rather he promise to pay 50 thousand as bursary to students, is this what will reduce unemployment and create jobs in the state? Or is Umana’s quest for governorship seat of Akwa Ibom is to satisfy his ego? And score his cheap political point with the governor. How can a man claiming to contest election pay for airtime on radio and TV to discuss another man’s problem and make another man popular instead of seeking to convince people to support him? He goes on air to abuse Udom Emmanuel not knowing that whom God has blessed, no man can course. Politics of propaganda is over; this time is a contest of capacity and competence which Umana is lacking. He does not have the capacity to bring investors to the state at no cost which Udom is very capable because he has been working with them over the years and knows the right contact to make and get what he wants. If Umana is now accusing the government he served and embezzled so much that he became richer than some states, that means he is an accomplice in whatever offence that government has committed, and he cannot be the one to sanitise the system, it needs and external auditor like Udom Emmanuel who will see clearly those mistakes and how to correct them. Umana will continue to be richer than government and turn Akwa Ibom people to beggars if he gets into government house again. He is now romancing the aggrieved G22 who does not even have followers any more in his desperate bid to become governor at all cost. Little wonder why governor Akpabio described APC as Aggrieved People’s Congres. I was shocked to learn that Umana is not just selfish politically, but selfishness has become his way of live. He does not know that a police station supposed to be at the local government headquarters, but Umana has since relocated the Nsit Ubium divisional police station from Ikot Edibon to Ndiya where he comes from. He is afraid that robbers may come to attack him with all the money he has acquired, but how long will he continue to steal our money and get police protection? He has shown signs of bad leadership, instead of bringing new things to the area; he relocated the existing ones to his house for selfish reason. That was why the people of Nsit Ubium made a passionate appeal to their next governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel to bring back their police station which governor Akpabio intervened immediately and promise to construct for them a befitting police station in the next two months, and pleaded with them not to insist on the return of the old one. That was leadership that listens to the people not aggrieved man who believes that governance is his personal business. Umana believes that the more he slander governor Akpabio and Mr Udom Emmanuel he stands a chance of winning, permit me to say that if propaganda can give anybody election it would have been Udoedehe not Umana. Anybody who cares to listen to the PDP governorship candidate in the forthcoming election, Mr Udom Emmanuel, one will be able to detect when an intellectual speaks with authority, having known all and has all it takes to turn things around, than when novice who knows nothing about creating wealth and turning raw materials to finished goods, his only hope for resources to govern the state is in the oil money that Akwa Ibom collects from the Federation Account monthly. Udom Emmanuel who is an intellectual understands what governance and leadership is, he tells people about himself and what he has to offer Akwa Ibom people, he never failed to describe himself as the right man for the job which others are angry that he said he is the right man. In all his interviews on radio and TV, he carefully avoided talking about other people instead he focuses on his good plans and agenda for Akwa Ibom people. Just listen to Udom Emmanuel then you will be convinced that truly this man has a lot to offer this state. Even the so called G-22, he always urges them to accept reconciliation and return to the umbrella which he always describes as a symbol of inclusion and unity. His brilliant articulation of programmes and good ideas for development stands him out as the right man for the job, he understands what governance is all about, not those who see governorship position as an avenue to squander the common wealth of the people and convert same to their private use only. Udom Emmanuel believes in issues base politics not attacking people, that is why throughout the PDP mega rally that took place at Uyo Township Stadium last week, the one at Nsit Ubium which had a mammoth crowd of supporters, and that of Eket local government, there was no attack on personalities, but it was all about persuading the people to support PDP base on their vision for greater Akwa Ibom anchoring by Mr Udom Emmanuel. Even when he was asked a question that could have warranted him to talk about other governorship candidates, he carefully avoided making any comment that could discredit anybody while others takes pleasure in slandering him to win election; how many people in this 21st century has ever win election by propaganda and blackmail? They don’t have any manifesto or blueprint, he want to be governor at all cost to continue his fraudulent practice he perpetrated while serving as SSG. Udom has been able to tell Akwa Ibom people what he will do for them starting with his first 6 months in office. He has reeled out his agenda and key areas of focus by the incoming government. He has the right connection and capacity to industrialize Akwa Ibom, and reform our economic system to compete with those in developed world. Any time he is given opportunity to speak, he always talks about what he can do and how to improve our economic situation in the state not about other candidates. There is need for the opposition APC to see the election in the in the right perspective and stop behaving like rebels. They should know that the one that convince people more on all-round development and inclusion which people can clearly see a better prospect will carry the day not the propaganda machine or blackmailer. They should learn from Mr Udom Emmanuel, the PDP governorship candidate his sterling leadership qualities of being mindful of what he says. The opposition should begin to see themselves as part of the society and not as rebels.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 09:42:06 +0000
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