Need for fair Akwa Ibom representation

Going by the high expectations of many Nigerians in the recently inaugurated second term administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, we in the Ibom Integrity and Servant Leadership Culture Initiative (IISLCI), are praying that he succeeds in positively turning the fortunes of our dear nation around in line with his laudable Next Level programme. But we […]

Going by the high expectations of many Nigerians in the recently inaugurated second term administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, we in the Ibom Integrity and Servant Leadership Culture Initiative (IISLCI), are praying that he succeeds in positively turning the fortunes of our dear nation around in line with his laudable Next Level programme. But we caution that to achieve these objectives, the nation needs an atmosphere of peace and President Buhari and his government deserve an environment devoid of unnecessary distractions, irritations, rancour and bickering.

This is why many supporters of Mr. President are of the view that this second mandate affords him the opportunity to select his  ministers in a manner that will ensure that they do not become liabilities to the government or dent  the Presidents impeccable image. Many have thus suggested that questionable characters with known corruption allegations, especially those under the investigation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), should be avoided in the formation of the new cabinet. Our kinsman and partyman, Senator Godswill Akpabio, unfortunately, is one of such individuals.

Just as our group had earlier stated in our letter to the President, Akpabio has proven to be a destabilizing agent in our party, APC. The poor showing of APC in Akwa Ibom state in the last general election was to a large extent as a result of the destabilizing and authoritarian tendencies of Senator Akpabio, who only believes that it’s either his way or nobody’s. Many had thought that his joining APC would bring cool breeze of good fortunes to the party in the state, but rather his highhanded nature and disrespect for internal democracy in the party and the will of the people to choose their leaders, became a raging storm that uprooted the recognized structures of the party right from the grassroots, as he imposed party leaders from the wards and even unit levels, leaving many party men and women very bruised, trampled and disgruntled.

It is instructive that he came into APC with no recognizable political structure or any meaningful support base of value. It was expected that a politician of that stature would be able to at least command the loyalty and following of at least half of the members of the House of Assembly but came almost empty handed. He couldn’t even convince his own cousin who was a commissioner in the state to join him. The situation was that bad. So, when PDP cleared all the 13 NASS seats, including his own, in Akwa Ibom, won 20 of the 21 House of Assembly seats in the state and retained the governorship of the state, it became very clear that we had actually overrated his electoral value and influence.

The following verifiable factcheck will help to ascertain the objectivity and veracity of our earlier assertions as contained in our letter to Mr. President, which is that: Senator Akpabio is still under probe of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)), hence unfit for ministerial nomination in the Next Level government.

As in his days as PDP governor, he still remained the destabilizing factor in APC in Akwa Ibom since joining us, which contributed to the party’s poor outing at the recent election ; that his profligacy in public office and hunger for power corrupts his sense of propriety and makes him to always flagrantly ignore norms, standards and traditions; and that his flippancy and haughty public utterances still hurt our party till date.

We had argued, and objectively so, that Akwa Ibom has many respectable, level headed personalities that would represent the state with grace at the federal executive, just as our son, Mr. Udoma Udo Udoma, former Minister of Economic Planning, did creditably in the previous term. In terms of loyalty to the party and contributions to its development in the state, our party APC have party men and women of note, including, but not restricted to Chief Umana Umana and Senator John Udoedehe, among others who had toiled to keep the party afloat over time in the state.

What the party needs at this precarious period is a representative in the coming cabinet of President Buhari, who would enjoy the support of majority of Akwa Ibom people irrespective of political background, and for equity and fairness. Especially as our party is emerging from a depressing electoral experience. We need a unifying factor, not an overlord. This is our simple, selfless and objective request from Mr. President.

President Buhari should be weary of any corruption case with the EFCC that has the potential of exploding into national embarrassment and credibility question for his government. I wish to remind the President of his famous words, that ‘if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill us’.

The same Senator Akpabio that in years past had been President Buhari’s and our party, APC’s nemesis cannot suddenly become the gadfly of presidential political generosity. The video clips of all the names he called Mr. President just few years back in the name of political campaign as Governor, are self evident. It is an incontrovertible fact that APC’s poor outing in the first free and fair elections ever conducted in Akwa Ibom State, the 2019 general elections, was aftermath of overwhelming state-wide revolt against Akpabio and what he represents.

It is worthy to note that, just the Nigerian electorate  openly accepted President Buhari as our leader by this renewed mandate, the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial zone, where Akpabio won in only two of its 10 local governments in the just concluded elections, in their wisdom, considering what they know about their son, have instructively, openly rejected Akpabio as their representative at the federal level. That is why we implore the President to be circumspect in considering him as minister in his government, so as not to appear insensitive to the people, who have loudly said no to him as a representative.

This simple request, is undoubtably accommodated by the principles of democracy, anchored on the fundamental human rights, as guaranteed by the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria. It is a fundamental rights of individuals or group, to freely express freedom of choice as regards the character of a desired representative, especially when the objective of the request is for a better Akwa Ibom, a stronger/united APC in the state and a corrupt free, transparent federal government, under the astute leadership of our mentor, President Buhari.

The principles of democracy, anchored on the fundamental human rights, as guaranteed by the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, protect our rights as individuals or group, to freely express our freedom of choice as regards the character of any person we would want to represent Akwa Ibom in the coming cabinet. The same goes for our rights to belong to any group especially when the objective of the group is for a better Akwa Ibom, a stronger/united APC in the state and a corrupt free, transparent federal government under the astute leadership of our mentor, President Buhari.

Dr.  Asuquo Edidem Etim wrote from Uyo.