Declan Ogar-Genesis > NEW AGENDA FOR CROSS RIVER Waoooooo what a gist!!! Why Cross River State North must be extra ordinarily careful this time around... I have not read anything so rich and presumptuous yet so interesting like this, in a pretty long time. The opinion represented under, is that of the author not mine, I dont necessarily buy it. But its an interesting read: AKPABIO AND HIS CARROTS BUSINESS I have not always been a fan of politics from the beginning but like a rook in the game of chess, I always found myself crossing boxes whenever elections came around and when I winged my mum would always tell me that I was too opinionated a person not to be involved in politics because the society needed some good hands and tongues like mine in politics, ironically today she forbids the venture. Back then in school I remember one elderly class mate of mine Chief Tiku Takon who would always tell us “you have to be interested in politics because politics is very much interested in you.” But the glitch with politics is that it plays many moves on the spectators but one trick. It repeats itself again and again yet people failed to recognize those moves every time it replays. The nature of man! Not that he forgets easily but that he remembers too many unnecessary things to the detriment of the significant ones. Sometime ago in Faculty of Law University of Calabar, elections into the law students association leadership offices was the greatest intrigue in the entire school. Those who schooled there in the 90s and early 2000 will attest to this. Then elections into the presidency were zoned among the South- South States to deny The Igbos chance to the helms. History has it be ittrue or false that they had ruled the entire faculty to the detriment of every other tribe who brazened up to rout their reign. The zoning was a perfect arrangement between Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Delta-Rivers- Bayelsa and Edo Blocs. A tripartite one indeed! By their unity they were able to produce just one candidate against any Igbo candidate and their population saw them through. Late Barr Eja Eni (who later became a lecturer in that same faculty but died last year) was the first ever president to emerge from that caucus. But soon, some selfish entities started taking advantage of the arrangement. The mantra became: “give caucus a goat and they will make him president”, a terrible boast! Other self centered elements came up with the idea of merit but in reality, they were far from virtuous in motif. But the office of the Director of Socials was always an interesting contest. Zoning had little or nothing to do with it but there was a year the caucus men had grown too proud for reason that they brought a candidate for the office. Mr Ezekiel now a barrister of about seven years practice or so. At one of those meetings I tried to warn them that Ezekiel was very popular with formal things like academic matters and not with the informal businesses like being a Director of Socials. He tutored the whole junior students right from year one and was by that gesture about the most popular intelligent person around, but Uzo was a pathological fun lover. He was good looking, witty, funny, creative and intelligent. The girls loved him, the guys liked him. But what happened at the meeting stunned me. I was ordered to sit down quietly or walk out of the Akwa Ibom congress because I spoke in English. Some even jeered me for being a Lagosian, I tried to protest. Akwa Ibom had three major languages being; Ibibio, Anang and Oro. At least I could speak Oro but not majority would understand. So I should be heard. It was not my language that was the problem, it was my opinion. I had suggested the office of secretary general which to them was less lucrative as I later learnt. On the screening day, Uzo nailed himself. He appeared before the staff adviser in Kaycee and Jabari out fit. Very creative! “Young man, this is the faculty of law, you are first a lawyer before anything else. For this gross indecent dressing you are disqualified from the race!” That was the verdict on him. All hopes dashed! His supporters could not believe their ears. My Akwa Ibom brothers called me names of rues. The following day was the officially approved day for campaigns. Election was on Friday. Our candidate was screened out on Monday. Manifesto was for Wednesday. On Tuesday, during the much dreaded Legal System Class of Barr Cyril Ndifon which was usually crowded like Pastor Chris’ Atmosphere for Miracles, candidates started campaigning from class to class. My kinsman, Ezekiel strolled into the Year Two class, took leave of Barr Ndifon (now Professor of International Law) and tutored us on his intelligence based credibility. And the caucus yelled “unopposed”! Words had spread across the wards of our faculty that the popular Uzo was out of the race but what happened next stunned every single soul. Mr. Uzo strolled into the class with his group of friends: Kay-Kay, Jama, Eche Takon, Effiom, Eyo, to mention a few. What a gentle man. We saw true spirit of sportsmanship in him as he gladly announced his disqualification and the fact that he was not willing to challenge it, though he had every reason to. Then he presented Eche Takon as his replacement. Eche was a tall dark chap, had one of those mills and booms voice, v -shaped, intelligent, gentle and witty in his own style. I knew him because he was friendly. Not everyone knew him but the girls did and that was enough for him. Not that he was a philanderer, but he was just one of those fortunate young men whose company the female gender happen to enjoy more than their fellow gender. After listening to Eche attract more girls to himself in the guise of campaign somebody stood up and asked a question just as they were about taking their leave. “Excuse me please, most of us had you, Uzo in mind to vote as our Director of Socials because we know you very well when it comes to that office please can you give us one reason why we should vote your friend here in place of you”? Yes! Yes! The class murmured. I still do not know till this day if that question was to spoil things for Eche or for Ezekiel because of the answer Uzo gave. “Yes, I know all of you know me, some of you know my friends and Eche as well but come Friday you will vote Eche as your director of socials because it is the face of Eche but the hand of Uzo.” Wow for the cliché! “The face of Eche; the hand of Uzo”. We all reverberated with a standing ovation as they took their leave. Just then we remembered that the Don was in class: Barr. Ndifon and quietness stormed the class immediately. The lecturer looked at us, smiled (something he rarely did) and repeated the cliché for us to echo. Even the lecturer was stunned. Eche had a landslide victory that Friday. Ezekiel and my kinsmen apologized later that they should have listened to me and invited me back to the congress with a license to speak Panya, Patua, French or Swahili if I cared. I accepted the invite after they all graduated from the faculty. Years later, Cross River was preparing for Gov. Donald Duke’s replacement. The long told rumour that there was an arrangement between Donald Duke, Gershom Bassey and Lliyel Imoke to hand over to themselves was fast becoming a myth. Donald did not give any body language to confirm the rumour, rather it looked like he was more inclined to his deputy Sir Walter Eneji to take over from him. Donald is from Southern Cross River, Eneji is from Northern Cross River. They had never been Governor - they protested. They were very close to it with Kanu Agabi in 1999 until Donald and Co stole it from them though not without the help of John Ukpa at the price of being Donald’s Deputy which he was and died during the build up for second term courtesy of many things all political. Nobody was more popular than Sir. Walter. Liyel only stole into the race stylishly. His concepts of campaign were intriguing. Very Elite posters of him were seen everywhere. There was a grand balloon with the inscription “Vote Senator Liyel Imoke as Governor” at the centre of the capital city for everyone to sight from anywhere. He was a man of few words, few moves, few appearances and seemingly few supporters. On the eve of the primaries, Sir Walter had transported his delegates from the North to Calabar, most of the Ogoja delegates put up with my friend and class mate Okonache Obojor Ogar at Federal Housing Estate Calabar. The young man was everywhere politics and intelligence beckoned. How he managed to bring them to stay at his three bedroom camp surprised me but what surprised people the following day was how those delegates left his house the following morning to nominate Sen.Liyel Imoke PDP candidate for Governor against their kinsman. They came back to celebrate at his place, thanked him very much for helping them participate in the making of the next governor and went back to their Ogoja in pump and pageantry. It was then that words in the streets began to explain the choice of Liyel over Walter. Walter had served in all the cadres of civil service before becoming Deputy Governor he should go and rest, Walter was not a generous man with public funds, Walter was too religious, Walter is from the north which ranks third after Southern and Central Cross River so he should wait for the turn of the north – no jumping, Walter was only used to put the north in check for Liyel to have a smooth sail, Liyel is the youngest Senator in the History of Nigeria, Liyel’s father was a member of People’s Democratic Movement PDM which is now People’s Democratic Party, Liyel is a Lawyer like Donald Duke, Donald had an arrangement with his friends Liyel and Gershom to handover to one of them, The Myth Of The Three Wise Men had become The Legend of the Three Wise Men of Cross River State. The moral of this history is for those of us interested in the hilltop politics for 2015 to gird our minds with wisdom. History is at its mischief again. We have seen many body movements of His Excellency Dr. Godswil Obot Akpabio but people seem to be oblivious of the fact that body movement is never the actual movement of the owner of the body. Two Deputies have dropped already but unlike John Ukpa of Cross River they still have their breath. When Akpabio emerged in his second term, his romance with Obong Nsima Ekere his original choice of deputy and friend was in the frequency of honey in the moon, he even travelled out of the state for weeks putting his deputy as acting governor without fear of impeachment or palace coup. How else could one be so sure that his friend and boss would be comfortable handing over to him. Poor Nsima was conned, he relaxed himself until he relapsed to near political extinction. Godswil’s love shower had soaked him with the envious wrath of the then Secretary to State Government (SSG) Obong Umana Okon who equally has eyes for the seat of the Governor. Common sense is not so common and Nsima was smart enough to have used it in making an uncommon move. He retired before his alleged impeachment! That remains the smartest move anyone has ever made since the beginning of the race to 2015. Meanwhile, it was a grand strategy to bring out the fiend in Obong Umana, with Nsima Ekere supposedly out of the way, he too relapsed into Nsima’s rocking chair, he saw himself as untouchable, he started counting his chicken before the eggs were hatched, he started campaigning openly making the Governor look like puppet before the world. He machinated the sack of Commissioners and Directors that were not in support of his interest, he pitched the governor against his political opponents, unknown to him he was also making enemies for himself to be more than the air he breathes. It appeared as though he had pushed the Governor to the wall meanwhile His Excellency has been by the wall all along just waiting for the catharsis and our erstwhile SSG made himself emeritus. Today, his downfall is reconciling Godswil with virtually all his sworn enemies since 2007 on the premise that it was Umana that caused the enmity. Now, from nowhere a new SSG is come, our amiable Mr Udom Emmanuel. They say he is full of merits, they say he helped Godswil solve Akwa Ibom debt management problem, a banker par excellence, the body movement has begun again. The same Godswil who during his second term campaign had told the people of Eket Senatorial District that power would come to them after him, who did not hesitate to aver in the wake of Obong Umana’s campaign that anybody could be the Governor of Akwa Ibom after him pretending to ignore the Eket Senatorial District agenda has suddenly come back to say that come 2015 all roads lead to Eket Senatorial District. Now, his new best friend, Udom is currently sitting on that famous rocking chair that Nsima Ekere, Umana Umana and others have once rocked to their demise. Nobody is asking why Godswil chose Bishop Sam Akpan’s kinsman to be his next carrot, the rabbits have never been so animated forgetting that the foxes are always ever more ready to eat as Salmon Rusdie warned in his book Satanic Verses. Meanwhile, in addition to Ambassador Assam Assam, is the appointment of Barr Dan Abia as Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission; another prestigious son of the Eket Federal Constituency controlling a commission that oversees about nine states in the country. Is this not another grand movement to present the Eket Federal Constituency politicians as overfed politicians at war with themselves so that asking for the seat of the governor would be asking for too much for a Federal Constituency in a Senatorial District of three? What then shall be the portion of Oron and Ikot Abasi Federal Constituencies? So much for Uncle Emma’s Governorship! Soon the senate race in that district will have to be a compromise chip for the governorship ticket between the two. This trend is another threat to Senator Ita Enang. Will he return or will Aloysius Etok return or will Helen Esuene because as a convention each state must return a Senator? Now if Helen cannot become Governor because of the carrots in her Federal Constituency she would be forced to fight for a return to the Senate. That will be another Abuja war to which Sen. Enang is no neophyte just that he has never had a skirt for opponent at that level. Again, if his Excellency is to be taken seriously with this his clamored Senate ambition we must also bear in mind that Godswill would definitely prefer to be the Leader of the Senators from Akwa Ibom and probably Cross River State by extension (Oh, a call for Senator Ndoma Egba to be wary). To achieve this, Madam Helen may have to be returned to the senate to act as a ceremonial leader while Akpabio lives the real leadership. But if Ita Enang is able to woo enough support from the Ibibio nation and is ready to wield that support to help Akpabio deliver his candidate, trust me Akpabio may concede to returning Ita Enang against Esuene who bears no threat whatsoever. Careful study of this serpentine program will make people like Udom think twice about their candidacy because one salient question they fail to ask themselves is “Who Will Be My Deputy?” Ibibio Governor and Ibibio Deputy Governor is not a card Akwa Ibom is matured enough to play. The deck will be reshuffled. Now, with people like Bassey Albert, Finance Commissioner and Senator Effiong Bob in the scene, things are very likely to get twisted for some people. Where Mr Albert desires to be governor and as a soft landing settles for Deputy Governor, Senator Ita Enang will as a matter of political permutation go nowhere with his second term ambition. So, while Albert is used to repress his Ibiono kinsman, Senator Bob will gladly do same to his brother, Umana in Nsit Ubium either for the carrot in his mouth or for the settling of scores. On the other hand Of course, the Anangs would prefer to be Secretary to State Government in lieu of Deputy Governor and Barr. Enoidem is without apologies warming up for the call. It is not their fault, when an Ibibio governor stepped down, one of the consolations was to have an Ibibio SSG, party chairman and lots more, and like we all know, every good turn deserves another! That of course will be a good move on the part of Gov. Akpabio to have some other person hold forte for him and to put his new governor through for as long as their romance may suffer. Corollary from the foregoing is the need to narrow down our permutations to the nearest possible political kismet. This will bring the radar upon two Federal Constituencies in Eket Senatorial District: Oron and Ikot Abasi where only a few carrots are eaten. So, while some people are induced with the heroine-like effect of false hope to keep their front at bay, others are pitched in perpetual kerfuffle with themselves so that at the end the winning card will be produced from Akpabio’s sleeves when all is waiting but none is watching just like Donald Duke ushered in Sen.Liyel Imoke to succeed him as Governor of Cross River State in 2007. To our chagrin that person will turn out to be someone some us have persecuted; someone some of these political elephants have threaded upon; someone some of us have betrayed, scandalized and abandoned over pieces of carrots; an ordinary politician, an everyday man, probably one currently experiencing pecuniary droughts or you but definitely not the ones with the noise and crowds these days. Blimey, if Godswil Akpabio was a close friend to Donald Duke, I would not have hesitated to say this history repeating itself is but “The Face Of Godswill, The Hand Of Donald Duke.” The carrot hoax is an interestingly potent one and you never get a grasp of it until you begin to see yourself as a rabbit. The only problem is that we are sometimes (not seldom though) the carrot itself. Selah. Author: Okpo Ewa Edmund Esq. Lawyer, Arbitrator, Policy Analyst, Literati and Theologian
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 15:12:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015