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Akwa Ibom State, located in the deep south of Nigeria, is an interesting polity. It is the global headquarters of uncanny politics, most times -which is unfortunate. The good news though, is that the state is also at once the global headquarters of peace, gospel music, hospitality, culture and vision. It is a sweet place.
Akwa Ibom is a state everyone must visit. The land is blessed beyond measure, has always been, shall forever be. The area on which this entry wants to beam the searchlight is leadership. Whether during military era or since 1999 when democracy returned and has remained unbroken, the oil-rich state has only tasted quality leadership -nothing less.
A sure attestation to the foregoing is that all former military leaders of the state (who are still alive) enjoy visiting the state because the people enjoy receiving them -a function of the fantastic difference those uniform chiefs made in their Hilltop Mansion, Uyo heyday. Their civilian counterparts are even more cherished. There’s something for which Akwaibomights remember all of their former governors. Take the late Obong Akpan Isemin, for one: once you mention his name even people born after his reign would readily recall his groundbreaking work vis-a-vis reengineering our ‘etok etok syndrome’ mindset.
The only civilian state chief executive, whose tenure was rudely cut short by the military, wanted us to eschew timidity and inferiority complex. Akwaibomights today think big because our first-ever elected governor gave that say-so from the get-go. And, for two: Arc. (Obong) Victor Bassey Attah who came on board six years afterwards and stayed the constitutional limit of eight years, which has by the way become an Akwa Ibom governorship tradition, ran with that vision. Gov. Attah, as he then was, dreamt big dreams and saw big visions.
He envisioned greatness and freedom, in a way never before thought possible of the Akwa Ibom person. Along with a few of our people, eg. Senators Udoma Udo Udoma and Emmanuel Ibokessien, he fought the mighty federal forces to a standstill and being victorious achieved quasi-resource control which the state enjoys to date. He thought up, thought out and executed among others what’s today Ibom Icon Hotels and Golf Resort at Nwaniba as well as the foundation of Victor Attah International Airport which -over a decade later- was renamed after him by the current man. Sixteen years since he left Government House, Uyo, the iconic father of modern Akwa Ibom remains himself: unobtrusive, quiet but a recurring decimal, willy nilly.
The governor who took over from Obong Attah in 2007 was different in all aspects except one -development. For three: Chief (now Senator) Godswill Obot Akpabio was humbly arrogant about his achievements and powers. He didn’t suffer fools gladly. He was bullish in affairs of state, politics and in fact, just everything: he worked hard, played hard and ruled hard.
During the eight years he held sway, people feared or loved the state in a way that now makes for great laugh. But, that’s a topic for another day. Thankfully, that governor -a lawyer- also left behind a massive developmental impact not only on our landscape but also in the lives of our people. Check out roads, flyovers, Godswill Akpabio International Stadium (renamed after him by the incumbent), etc.
And, now, for four: enter Gov. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel who rounds off in two, three months. In many ways, the economist cum banker has proved beyond every reasonable doubt that you can mix God and politics, successfully and fantastically. The Udom Years came with peace, inclusion, industrialisation (think Ibom Air), roads, flyover, epochal bridges and other projects too numerous to mention. Yet, “upon on top of all this,” (apologies, Chief Zebrudaya) the deacon governor deliberately maintains a low profile.
In going forward, suffice it to say that apart from Obong Akpan Isemin, all others ran and won and reigned on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In his time, there were only Social Democratic Party (SDP) and his own National Republican Convention (NRC) but because no one can resist the PDP magic in Akwa Ibom, ex-Gov. Isemin eventually joined and until he sadly went to be with the Lord on 23rd June 2009, remained a member. PDP is Akwa Ibom and Akwa Ibom is PDP. Everything this state has or has had since 1999 was or is either ensured or sustained by PDP.
On the other hand, All Progressives Congress (APC) -the party at the centre- has been good, excellently good to only PDP in Akwa Ibom in that it has been bad, horrendously bad to our state and our people. APC cannot boast even one project in Akwa Ibom. Granted, it has been in power just eight years but our people say that daybreak tells how the day would turn out. APC has been so horrible to Akwa Ibom that concerning governorship, Akwaibomights can never prefer APC to PDP.
PDP has been a blessing to our state, no matter the angle from which you view the matter. Only a fool changes the winning formula, the winning team, the winning party. Akwaibomights are no fools. We shall go with PDP on March 11 because PDP has been good to us.
Forget the little gains the opposition made on February 25. Analysts will tell you that what happened was in part occasioned by some things to which I alluded, above: the monumental love we have for our former leaders coupled with our altruistic sense of hospitality. Recall I once told you in this space that PDP is too monstrously formidable in Akwa Ibom to lose any election, except it chooses to. The truth is that it was PDP that defeated PDP in Akwa Ibom northwest senatorial ballot penultimate Saturday.
That’s all that can and should be said, at this material time. Come to think of it, APC had long gone past its prime in this state. It used to be robust opposition. Now, internal wrangling has made it more like a ragtag army.
It only won because of insider job at PDP dot com. It is not going to happen again. All of last week, Gov. Udom Emmanuel and the party leadership worked, stylishly, in word and action, to forestall a recurrence. Plus: the elections of March 11 -being local because of their direct effect on our state- have a totally different texture, complexion and temperament from those of February 25.
Akwaibomights shall not approach March 11 the way they approached February 25. In addition, so much has changed in the last week or so. There’s not one PDP member who’s a human being who has listened to Gov. Udom Emmanuel this last week who hasn’t had a mental and cardiac reset. The humongous PDP structure has been remobilised, refueled and readied to go out there and win huge.
PDP is coming. The party is coming; to go for broke in the governorship and assembly polls slated for Saturday. Pastor Umo Eno and Senator Akon Eyakenyi, Ph.D., have to be elected governor and deputy governor respectively complete with our 26 state lawmakers (notably Dr Itoro Etim of Uruan State Constituency where I come from) so that Akwa Ibom continues to enjoy the sweetness that PDP has offered us 24 years and counting. Semi-finally, just so you know, March 11 shall be a rehash of the Arsenal-Bournemouth English Premier League clash of last Saturday.
A match of two halves, the ninth second of the first half saw the visitors drawing the first blood. They compounded the league leaders’ woes in the 57th minute, against the run of play. Suddenly, it began to rain on the relegation-threatened side; then, it poured. Finally, the pulsating game ended 3-2, in favour of -you-know-who.
In Akwa Ibom state, the second half of the 2023 general elections shall be like that match. PDP shall overcome the scare of February 25 to win big. The party has the men and the women and the youths and the children and the reach to achieve this milestone. Above all, the party has made our state proud since 1999 and all it deserves after so, so many good tenures is another ‘’carry go’’ from Akwa Ibom people.
God bless Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria!
