Many Nigerians within the country and beyond have been reacting to Senator Godswill Akpabio’s recent statement that it was a mistake on his part to have imposed Governor Udom Emmanuel on the people of Akwa Ibom State in 2015. Earlier this week, Obong Chris Ekpenyong, deputy governor of the state during the tenure of Victor Attah, joined the thousands of people reacting to Akpabio’s regrets when he, in a chat with this writer, appraised the nearly four years tenure of Emmanuel and concluded that for his focus on the industrialisation of the state and his high performance in the security sector, among others, history will write Emmanuel’s name in gold.
The chat with this extremely outspoken Akwa Ibom politician and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), candidate for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, also known as Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, which held in the premises of his EEMJM Hotels in Uyo, that appears to be his main workplace since he resigned as deputy governor in 2005, had sought for his views on a number of developments in Akwa Ibom politics in recent times.
These included the action of the five APC legislators of the state House of Assembly, who locked out 21 of their colleagues and ‘arming’ themselves with an improvised Mace, attempted an impeachment of Onofiok Luke, speaker of the Assembly in the early hours of November 22.
The five – Nse Ntuen, representing Essien Udim State Constituency; Gabriel Toby, Etim Ekpo/Ika; Idongesit Ituen, Itu; Otobong Ndem, Mkpat Enin and Victor Udofia, Ikono State Constituency, who reports said, had earlier been sacked from the Assembly, allegedly beat up and sent out those they found in the premises before settling down for “business”.
Ekpenyong’s answer to this was that there was no legal backing in the Nigerian system for the minority to overrun the majority in impeachment processes or election matters. He agreed with Newswatch boss Ray Ekpu, who lamented at a symposium on November 23, organised by Akwa Ibom State government to mark the 80th birthday anniversary of Attah, governor of the state from 1999 to 2007, that it was a season of madness in which Nigerian politicians were developing “Courage to do Nonsense.”
Ekpenyong’s views on the schism and eventual parting of ways between Emmanuel and Akpabio, that has dominated discussions in family circles, the social and traditional media and of course, the political landscape of the state and elsewhere for close to two years were also sought.
He lamented the misunderstanding between the state governor and his political godfather but also expressed deep disappointment in Akpabio’s recent statement that he regretted imposing Governor Emmanuel on the people of the state. He said: “This is a man who brought someone to be governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2015 and told us that the man was the best. He told us how he went and knelt down to beg the promoter and proprietor of Zenith Bank PLC., Jim Ovia, to release Emmanuel and how his wife, Unoama, prayed to Virgin Mary and Mary answered her in the matter.
“This same Akpabio took us round the 31 local government areas of the state to tell the people how good his choice was and closed the door against 22 other aspirants to the Government House. “He could not allow Akwa Ibom people to x-ray and put other aspirants on the scale to see whether there was any among them that could also do well like his preferred candidate. “If today he says he had made a mistake, then that mistake is uncommon.
Earlier, he had said Udom had all the capacity to make a good governor and that he was the best teacher who taught Udom Emmanuel. But now we find that the student is better than the teacher”, he said Asked how the student was doing better than his teacher, Ekpenyong came out in full praise of Governor Emmanuel and his achievements, which he said qualified him for the people’s votes for second term in 2019.
He harped much on Emmanuel’s focus on industries, saying the governor’s projects were aimed at conquering traces of poverty in the state. Ekpenyong said Emmanuel has been able to build industries in most of the 31 local government areas of the state in spite of the deficit in resources of the state during his tenure. As he put it, the industries, including that of smart metering, leather work, four mill, syringe factory, coconut and cassava farms were already removing the youth of the state from the streets and putting food on the table of many families while gradually transforming the state from civil service economy to indust r i a l economy. The former deputy governor also scored the Emmanuel-led Akwa Ibom State administration high in infrastructure development. “Look at the mileage and the quality of roads that the governor has constructed on the southern axis of the state, which produces the resources that Akpabio spent for eight years”, he said, adding “with this, history will write Emmanuel’s name in gold.
He said Emmanuel has equally been doing very well in the area of security. According to him, cultism, a lamentable symbol of the previous administration has been fought to a standstill even as the dreaded adventure of kidnapping vanished into thin air. “It is a known fact that since Udom took over power, the security of the people of the state has been guaranteed excepting quite recently that Akpabio tried to cause an infraction within the state House of Assembly”, he said, an apparent reference to the power play by the five legislators. He said the peace in the state was in line with the Scripture, “When the righteous is on the throne, the people rejoice.”
Ekpenyong said there is no fury in the state and Senatorial district over Akpabio’s decamping from PDP and subsequent loss of position as Senate Minority leader in August, except that his action was a betrayal of the trust of Akwa Ibom people particularly those of the Annang Clan that he represented in the upper law-making chamber of the country. On how the people of the state would benefit from his representation if elected, Ekpenyong said he would pursue programmes aimed at banishing poverty in Akwa Ibom State and the country, revive the issue of creation of more states and identify with those pushing for the restructuring of the country, among others.
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