The general elections in Akwa Ibom State will be a stiff competition between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is waxing stronger by the day. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI examines the contest for relevance between the two parties.
There is a crack within the ranks of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State that has seriously whittled down the influence of the party. The party has governed the state since the return to civilian rule in 1999 and was hitherto considered to be entrenched in the state. But, seeds of distrust had been sowed in the party over time because of the leadership style of Governor Godswill Akpabio, who has governed the state like his personal estate. Many of the founding fathers of the party had borne the whole thing with equanimity, believing that everything would be over soon with the expiration of Akpabio’s second term in May.
But, things began to fall apart as the December 8, 2014 governorship primary approached, when stakeholders realized that Akpabio was not ready to allow the contest to take place under a free and fair atmosphere. He turned deaf ear to entreaties by senior citizens from the state such as former Governor Victor Attah and Donald Etiebet, asking him to make the race open to all. Stakeholders in the state regard the candidature of Udom Emmanuel, the PDP governorship flag bearer, as a third term agenda on the part of the governor. As a result, things have moved from bad to worse since his emergence after the primary.
Twenty-two of the 23 governorship aspirants under the auspices of the ‘Forum of Akwa Ibom State PDP Gubernatorial Aspirants’ otherwise known as the G-22, alleged gross irregularities in the conduct of the primary. The aspirants registered their grievances in a petition signed by all of them and appealed for fair play and justice from the national leadership of the party. The major grievance is that no primary took place, as everything was skewed towards returning the governor’s anointed candidate, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, as the party’s flag bearer.
For instance, the aspirants said there was no accreditation of any delegate at the venue of the state congress. They insist that accreditation was done at the Government House, Uyo and that unqualified persons were smuggled into the venue with accreditation cards which was contrary to paragraph 19 (e) (f) and (g) of electoral guidelines, which stipulates that names of accredited delegates shall be announced to the hearing of all persons present. Though members of the G-22 have doggedly refused to leave the PDP, they are believed to be working underground to thwart Akpabio’s ‘third term agenda’.
What really went wrong in Akwa Ibom? Observers say the problem could be traced President Goodluck Jonathan’s bid for a second term. PDP governors are believed to have entered into an arrangement to return Jonathan for a second term in exchange for a free hand to choose their successors. This explains why the party is having internal crisis in most of the states it controls. “Our people are fed-up with the insults, arrogance and provocative insensitivity of President Jonathan and the PDP to the wishes of the people and they will show to the world that there is no gain or pride in slavery and imposition,” a source who wants to remain anonymous said.
Observers say in spite of the support President Jonathan enjoys from the state that there is no federal presence in terms of empowerment and projects and that Akwa Ibomites are totally disenchanted with the conspiratorial silence on and the obvious acquiescence of Mr. Jonathan with Akpabio’s dictatorial tendencies, especially the imposition of the party’s governorship flag bearer.
Akpabio has been accused of treating the people of Akwa Ibom with contempt and disrespect. In spite of the amount of money that accrues to the state on a monthly basis, the Akpabio’s administration has been squandering it without planning for the future of the state. On average, Akwa Ibom’s share of federally allocated revenue is five times that of the average state and the state is acknowledged as the richest state in Nigeria. Today, there is a veneer of tranquility when one drives through the streets of Uyo, the state capital. But, beneath the glitter and tranquility on the surface lies a deep rancour. Critics say there is no long term planning and that the government is squandering the states resources on white elephant projects.
Former Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly Uwem Udoma said healthcare is in shambles, agriculture remains at subsistence level and that government is paying lip service to education, but the environment is not conducive for learning and government has not provided facilities in the schools, especially in the hinterland. School pupils in the rural areas do not have access to laboratory equipment and a good number of them study in dilapidated structures. Udoma, who is now a chieftain of the APC said there is no functional hospital in the state, except the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, which is owned by the Federal Government.
Akpabio has no doubt constructed roads and put up some other physical infrastructures in the state. But, critics say what he has achieved is nothing, when compared with the amount of resources that accrues to the state. Indeed, some of the structures he has put in place is nothing but white elephant projects and critics say he has pocketed the “kickbacks” and the inflated costs from them, even though they are not yet operational. There are those who have been bought over by “Akpabiosm” and the “uncommon transformation” of the governor. To such persons, the PDP still remains the party of choice for the people of Akwa Ibom.
But, there are a growing number of persons who are insisting that the party has run short of ideas and that the electorates should try the alternative provided by the APC. The second school of thought believes that Akpabio wants to extend his tenure through Emmanuel. Constitutionally, the governor would be concluding his second term as governor in May, but if he succeeds in imposing his candidate, the incumbent governor would continue to hold on to the reins of power through his protégé.
Take the stadium for instance; he has refused to state the exact sum expended in putting up the structure. Yet, the stadium project has not been completed. The only unit that has been completed is the football arena. The swimming pool, the gymnasium and other components of the project are yet to be put in place. In spite of this, Akpabio went ahead to organise a extravagant opening ceremony believed to have gulped over N500 million.
There is also a lot of hype about the number of flyovers in Uyo. But, as far as many Akwa Ibomites are concerned, there is no need for such flyovers at the moment. In December last year, Akpabio also organized a profligate Christmas carol believed to have gulped over a N1 billion. Well known personalities, including Reverend Jesse Jackson, were brought from different parts of the globe to Uyo for the carol.
Yet, civil servants have not received their salaries since September last year. Workers in the local governments have been on strike since December and have vowed to remain on strike until all their demands are met. Chairmen of local governments owing salaries claim money released to them by Governor Akpabio could not cover their salary bills. Former chairman of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Akwa Ibom State chapter, Felix Udo, said apart from unpaid salaries and allowances of workers, retired NULGE members had not been paid gratuities since 2009. The former NULGE boss said another reason for the strike was the irregular computation of salaries and allowances of local government workers.
Primary school teachers are also on indefinite strike over non-payment of salaries since last December. The schools are now ghost towns. The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Akwa Ibom State chapter, said its members would not go back to classes until the state government fulfilled the agreement it reached with the teachers in concrete terms.
The union’s secretary, Mike Ike-Ene, said its members proceeded on the strike following the breach of agreement earlier reached between the government and the union. Unpaid salaries aside, teachers in the state have not been paid promotion arrears since 2009. Ditto their leave grants since 2012. Besides, there is also a huge backlog of pensions and gratuities due to Akwa Ibom primary school teachers.
For the first time since the return to civil rule in 1999, the opposition appears to have taken root in Akwa State politics. Umana’s defection to the APC has breathed life into the hitherto comatose opposition party. It has turned it into a viable alternative for the people, particularly for politicians who have crashed out of favour with the ruling PDP. With thousands of politicians who were hitherto the foot soldiers of the PDP in their respective political domains now in the APC, there are fears that the PDP has lost its steam in the state.
Apart from the likelihood that the PDP may lose the governorship election, there are fears that President Jonathan may not receive the kind of overwhelming support he got there in 2011. Most of those who have decamped to the APC have vowed to ensure that the President does not win in Uyo Senatorial District and the state as a whole. But, Akpabio is not impressed by Umana’s threat to sweep the polls. He described the threat as “laughable and impossible.” According to the governor, Umana has never been a politician and as such does not have the political clout to win the governorship.
Aside from the governorship election, the other contest generating interest in Akwa Ibom is the David versus Goliath senatorial election in Ikot Ekpene District, otherwise known as the Northwest Senatorial District. In the contest, Obong Inibehe Okori is challenging Governor Akpabio’s bid for the seat. Abak division, which is one of the two major components of the district, has turned against Akpabio and the PDP. After governing the state for eight years, Akpabio is bidding to retire to the Senate, against the subsisting agreement that the next senator from the district should come from the Abak division. As a result, there has been a frosty relationship between people from the area and Governor Akpabio. Okori, who is contesting on the APC platform, is one of the arrowheads of those protesting against the perceived injustice. Akpabio has tried to placate the people by choosing the running mate to Emmanuel from the area, but the people are saying it is not acceptable.
Indications are that the election is going to be keenly contested. But, Akpabio is widely expected to use his huge financial war chest to try to influence the outcome of the contest. However, Okori is of the view that the Lord will give him victory, in spite of Akpabio’s huge war chest. His words: “What type of money does Akpabio have? Is it not the peoples’ money that has been entrusted in his hands? Is it justifiable for him to use this money to oppress the people? The God I worship would not allow that. As I speak to you, I want you to look at me once again; I am that David that fought Goliath; I am that Moses that confronted Pharaoh on behalf of the people of Israel. It shall come to pass.”
For the first time, ethnicity is going to be a major factor in the forthcoming election in the state. The state is made up of three major ethnic nationalities: Ibibio, Anang and Oron. In the governorship election, the Uyo Senatorial District, which is predominantly an Ibibio enclave, is expected to back Umana, who is an Ibibio person from that district. Umana defected to the APC along with a large chunk of PDP faithful and notable chieftains, who are opposed to the decision of Governor Akpabio and the PDP to exclusively zone the governorship slot to Eket and the governor’s insistence ticket, against the logic of zoning.
The entire Oron ethnic nationality (in Eket District) has resolved to back the APC. A group known as Oro Think Tank, an umbrella group of Oron stakeholders, made the above declaration last Thursday. It says that with the way are, an Oron person may not be able to govern the state in the next 24 years. The position of the group was articulated by its chairman, Comrade Okon Osung and secretary, Prof. Eminue. So, from all indications, the five local government areas that make up the Oron nation is likely to vote APC. Naturally, the three Ibibio local governments in Eket District, where Emmanuel comes from, may back the PDP flag bearer.
The Ibibios in the two local governments in Ikot Ekpene district are also likely to vote APC. Ikot Ekpene district has 10 local governments. Three of the local governments are from the axis where Akpabio comes from, while five belong to the Abak division where Okori hails from. Based on this calculation, Okori is very confident of victory in the senatorial race. He said: “To be honest with you, I am not aware of any prominent citizen of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district that is supporting Akpabio’s ambition. The people that are adopting Akpabio are his commissioners, his special advisers, in short, his aides. Those are not political leaders. Besides, his performance in the state has no bearing on the legislative matter.” For the first time in 16 years of civil rule, the opposition held a rally in Ikot Ekpene last week Monday, which attracted a mammoth crowd.
