The political space in Akwa Ibom State is gradually inching towards fever pitch ahead of the crucial 2019 general elections.
Although he is yet to openly declare his intention to run, perhaps because of working for the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government as the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Obong Nsima Ekere, is already viewed as a potential challenger against incumbent governor Udom Emmanuel’s quest for second term.
In the run up to the 2015 governorship elections, Ekere was among the 22 aspirants that sought nomination along with Emmanuel, for the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He later pulled out of the December 2014 primaries held at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, along with 21 others, citing “irregularities and deliberate government ploy to tailor the process towards having a predetermined outcome”.
The protesting aspirants tagged: ‘G-22’, were to take the protest and their grievances to the then President Goodluck Jonathan, in Abuja, but for 40 days, according to them, “it was like 40 days in Wilderness”.
And because, their efforts to meet President Jonathan, it was gathered, were allegedly frustrated by the immediate past governor Godswill Akpabio, who was hell-bent to install his successor, the G-22 had to return to Uyo, after 40 days, to mill into other political parties.
For instance, former first lady, Mrs Helen Esuene, migrated into the Labour Party (LP), others surreptitiously pitched their tents with Obong Umana Okon Umana, who had earlier migrated to grab the APC governorship ticket.
Ekere, it was learnt, was also wooed by his long time friend and associate, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of River State and current Minister of Transport, to change his political toga into the APC garb.
With that, he was said to have buried the feud with his long time associate and political friend, Umana and work surreptitiously for the APC to displace the ruling PDP at the governorship poll, which later ended for Emmanuel’s victory, at the Supreme Court.
For the feat, Ekere, Umana, Senator Ita Enang, and a dozen of others were rewarded with federal appointments, “to put them in good stead to support the party in the state”.
On the strength of this, observers say Ekere, who was named the NDDC boss about a year ago – to complete the remaining two years left for Akwa Ibom, at the sack of former Managing Director, Mr Bassey Dan Abia, would formally launch his interest to wrest power from Emmanuel, when he finishes the tenure next year.
However, his (Ekere’s) imminent entry into the race appears to have unsettled the camp of the ruling PDP, more so, as the main opposition APC had also zoned the governorship slot to aspirants from Eket Senatorial District, where Emmanuel hails from.
Besides, hundreds of APC youths recently gathered at Nsima Ekere’s open field along Edet Akpan Avenue, calling on the NDDC MD “to heed our clarion call to run”, promising to purchase the nomination form for him.
In Ekere’s Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, thousands of PDP supporters had earlier dumped the ruling party and declared for the APC.
The ranks of the PDP at the National Assembly have also been depleted with the defections of some of the lawmakers representing the state into the opposition APC.
They include the Senator representing governor Emmanuel’s Eket District, Chief Nelson Effiong, as well as the member representing Ukanafun\Oruk Anam Federal Constituency, Hon. Emmanuel Ukoette.
“Right now, the governor does not have a representative at the Senate and there are some other intriguing factors that would make the competition fierce for Emmanuel’s re-election”, notes Chief Okon Atakpa, a community leader in Oron.
Speaking recently in an interview in Uyo, Atakpa pointed out that “former governor Godswill Akpabio deliberately altered the political configuration of the state to favour his anointed successor”.
He recalled that in the run up to the 2007 elections, the then governor, Obong Victor Attah, had in line with the dictate of the PDP, declared that the power baton should revolve around the three ethnic tripods of Ibibio, Annang and Oron.
“So, after Attah had taken the first shot for the major ethnic group, the Ibibio, the baton was shifted to the next majority tribe of Annang with Akpabio, as the beneficiary”, he noted.
Therefore, according to him, “Oron should have been the next in line to assume the political leadership of the state, if proper things were to be done, but Akpabio came and altered the arrangement for power to evolve on the basis of Senatorial District”.
Akpabio, investigation revealed, had tinkered on those who could succeed him, including some of his commissioners, who hail from Oron like Effiong Abia and Ekpenyong Ntekim, but had to land with his Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Udom Emmanuel.
The choice of Emmanuel, who came into the system for just two years, had generated a lot of controversy and sent shock waves across the different political divides, with a lot of politicians shouting against “imposition of somebody from Lagos on us” and galvanised the people to resist.
It was learnt Akpabio had to drop the choice of Oron candidate because of the pressure from the majority Ibibio, who constitute bulk of the electorates at the polls and settled for Udom, who hails from Onna, the Ibibio area of Eket Senatorial District.
“If he had settled for Oron man, perhaps he would not have been able to muster enough votes to counter the Ibibio votes. So he had to settle for someone with Ibibio blood in Eket Senatorial District”, notes Dr Sam Ikpe, a commentator on social issues.
He noted that the desperation of Akpabio to have Udom replace him was borne out of sentiments from some Ibibios that “Since Obong Attah could not install his successor, there is no way Akpabio would install his man”.
This position, observers say, also gingered Akpabio to ensure everything were thrown into the process to ensure Emmanuel won.
“If you look at the first election, Akpabio fought and won the election for his man; this is the first time Udom will personally oversee his election”, Etim Umana, an APC youths’ activist noted.
“This realisation has forced the ruling PDP under Governor Emmanuel and his supporters to embark on deadly campaigns of calumny against the Ekere by castigating the job he is doing across the nine Niger Delta states through the NDDC”, notes Alhaji Al Mustapher Emem Edoho, a chieftain of APC in Esit Eket Local Government Area.
At the last security summit organised by the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, in Uyo, the state capital, attended by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru, Usani; some governors of the region, the two gladiators clashed.
With studied silence, Ekere watched as Governor Emmanuel pointedly told the Minister, IGP, the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu, and other notable politicians that “NDDC has not commissioned any single road in Akwa Ibom”.
He asked governors of core Niger Delta States to drive the NDDC away from the region, if the agency fails to take permission from them before embarking on projects.
“The NDDC does not own any piece of land, the governors own all the lands, so the NDDC should always take permission from governors before embarking on any projects”, Emmanuel warned.
A member of the Corporate Affairs department at NDDC, who would not want his name in print, lamented “because of the governor’s warning, any road we marked out for reconstruction, the Ministry of Works would come to drive us away and award the contract to their companies. The rivalry is not healthy because at the end of the day, development is truncated due basically to political interests in the state”.
But the government was quick to dismiss the allegations and threw back at the NDDC, accusing the agency under Ekere, of “playing politics with projects in Akwa Ibom”.
For instance, the Commissioner for Works, Ephraim Akparawa Inyang-eyen, explained that the position of government was to compel NDDC to follow standards in its job specifications, alleging that “the NDDC has been doing shoddy jobs in Akwa Ibom”.
According the former Customs’ chief, the administration would never compromised on standards, warning that government would continue to resist every attempt by NDDC to lower standards and politicized projects execution in the State.
He added that government was wary of the contradictions some shabby jobs of the NDDC, saying that if allowed, “the development master plan of the administration would be altered”.
The Commissioner urged NDDC and other development partners and agencies to always partner State governors in the region, for quality projects and infrastructures to thrive.
Most of the roads hurriedly resurfaced by the Commission in the last couple of months, according to Inyang-eyen, have collapsed an action he said, smacks of politics and cheap publicity.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Charles Udoh, dismissed the question of competition between the State government and the NDDC, saying the governor has done the utmost in the areas of infrastructural, human empowerment, industrialization and political inclusion to recommend him for second term.
He recalled that several quality projects and industrial infrastructure enunciated by governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration were showcased during the just concluded activities marking the 30th anniversary of the creation of the State.
Therefore, the NDDC, he stressed, must follow the regulatory framework put in place by the administration to guarantee quality assurance for every projects in the State.
Apparently aware of the heat the opposition APC would create at the polls, the governor has also hurriedly mended fences with his godfather, Senator Akpabio.
It was learnt Udom and his godfather, were recently embroiled in argument over who controls the PDP leadership in the State.
At one political meeting in the State, it was learnt argument over who controls the party cropped up and the angry Commissioner for Works, Inyang-eyen, pointedly told Akpabio to steer clear.
He then moved to forcefully hijack the PDP structure for his master, but met heavy resistance from Akpabio’s forces.
Although Akpabio’s camps was quick to deny such friction exist, observers say the denial followed peace overtures and dangling of carrots as a form of concession to woo back his former boss in time for the polls.
At the just concluded activities marking the 25th anniversary of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Akpabio had sounded it loud and clear that “nothing will ever separate us”.
For this open endorsement, the governor had to extend another political bait to his former boss, as a way securing his total support ahead of the elections.
Currently, Senator Akpabio’s brother, Ibanga, the Deputy Chairman of the PDP in the State, has been nominated by the governor as potential Commissioner in the State Executive Council.
The House of Assembly had cleared Ibanga Akpabio, last week and he is expected to be sworn-in when the anticipated minor cabinet reshuffle holds any moment from now.
Going into the crucial election year, analysts expected the competition to be fierce, as the APC aggregates its political arsenal to attempt to topple the ruling PDP in power in Akwa Ibom since the return of democracy in 1999.
“The entry into the race of Ekere at the expiration of his tenure at NDDC next year will provide an interesting spectacle, but what could truncate APC’s ambition, remains the Ibibio factor, because there is no way Ekere, if he succeeds, would not seek for second term”.
“After Eket would have completed their second term, the majority Ibibio in Uyo Senatorial District should take their turn. And this factor is expected to play out in the elections because Ibibio cannot sacrifice their turn for Ekere’s second term, if he wins in 2019”, he explained.
And from the camp of Ekere, there is also a counter slogan: “One for Change”, indicating that Ekere would only run for a single term and allow Uyo, to take its turn..
As the nagging political feuds lumber into 2019, the consensus of majority Akwa Ibom people remains: Let the NDDC and the government bury political sentiments and work towards affecting the lives of the electorates positively through lives-touching projects.
The people are watching.
and then