Whither Umana Umana

One of the greatest pre-birthday gifts a hurricane Governor Godswill Akpabio gave to his immediate past Secretary to the State Government Obong Umana Umana was an untimely, unceremonious and an embarrassing exit from Government. Not only that Akpabio mandated the throwing out of UOU to the chagrin of members of the public. The supervision of the exercise was carried out by women, the Governor’s wife and first lady Ekaette Unoama Akpabio and the Head of Civil Service of the State, Mrs. Cecilia Udoessien. The UOU’s birthday was few days away and when this incident occurred, many had known that politicians, blackmailers, eye service payers knowing who they are will wait. The truth is Umana Umana August 2012 and August 2013 birthday proved that UOU was just a fall guy that was being used by many to enrich themselves.

The much hullabo that later emanated from the camp of UOU was just a foul. The man UOU himself running to Ntisong Essien Ekidem and to Ibibio Elders with a complain that Akpabio is an Ibibio hater was not the best. To every discerning mind, the man shot himself in the foot and cried wolf. 

There was no need for his already feeling defeated supporters to rain abuses and curses on the Governor. There was no need for them to have cried ethnic against Akpabio, after all when other Ibibios were maltreated by the Akpabio and UOU antics; they had accused their victims of trying to spoil the Government. 

UOU rising to report the Governor, Obong Akpabio and labeling the man directly or indirectly as an ethinicist and an Ibibio hater was like a child who   killed both parent and when he or she was taken to court, decided to beg for mercy because is an orphan. That was the case of the longest serving Secretary to the State Government.

Now, himself waking up to cry sabotage and betrayal should be a lesson to him that for every Goliath, there is a stone. He was a Goliath to Civil Servants, politicians who had eyes for the Governorship of 2015 and even to a section of the media. That was the UOU for you. But he ignorantly failed to understand that the stone will hit him one day. The end of UOU from government was uncelebrated. 

Take it or leave it, he is now walking alone.

What we see now is makeup tact, the unnecessary ugly attack that is now hitting the government of the state hard from UOU’s surrogates are too predictable. The issue here is that they have always been too predictable. Why begin to fight the Governor simply because you no longer stay in the system? It is unthinkable that the men that claim they are UOU will not learn. That is how their desperateness landed UOU in a mess. That is how out of desperate desire, they dug a pit and UOU fell into it. They asked the man to declare and think they can take us for granted. And the man himself failed to identify with grassroots men in order to get and be briefed on grassroots sentiments.

UOU was encouraged by the people who know very little in politics to open so many battle fronts; he did this and is now paying very dearly for it. I am not mocking him, but his case also came up as one who falls because of the caliber of people he chose to allow the planning of his 2015 ambition. For me, I have opined that his ambition was a sharp contrast to the wishes of Akwa Ibom people. Let me add here again, Our dear Ex SSG, Obong Umana Umana, those of us that argued that you should not run the 2015 race did so to protect your future image and integrity, apart from the fact that zoning is your greatest albatross, we had suspected very well that the system will dump you and if you attempt anything funny, I fear, they will rubbish you.

Now check it out this way. Do you remember when you ferried to Abuja during the last mini-convention of your party the PDP? You did not have the respect you were supposed. Recall that when you sat in the midst of those you felt were your supporters, they were skeptical of you. They refused to join issues with you. When you eventually also sat very close to one Council Chairman from Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, that one just silently stepped out of there. In all, you were avoided like a plague. Can you imagine that?

And this is the same you that those avoiding today, were falling over themselves to please. They were doing eye services. Your foot soldiers failed you and have since abandoned you. Pray they don’t leak your secrets, I mean the secrets you shared with them.

To an extent, you invested politically in the wrong hearts; they played you a fast one and are today mocking and laughing at you. But you are the architect of your own misfortune. Maybe, you were not taking advice. If actually you have loyalists like you would want us to believe, by now some of those you singlehandedly fought for should resign in protest of your humiliating end from government.  They have not. Do you think they will do anything? Nothing. Your foot soldiers and hatchet men failed you also.

Some news media had carried the story of your declaration for the governorship of Akwa Ibom State by 2015, and Aniekan Umana Information Commissioner in one of his press statements clearly captured why you were sacked. To me the Information Commissioner is 100% correct. I don’t want to be distracted or confused by a counter release which was issued by your spokesman, Iboro Otongaran where he denied your open declaration. 

His was a retroactive action and a face saving effort. This is because your declaration had run full cycle and none of the media experts of yours deemed it fit to challenge those publications. Of course, they aided its promotion.

Given the new lease of life in the state exco, today and now after your exit, I can only advice that you shun the 2015 intent because you won’t win. I love you and respect you as an Elder Statesman, a technocrat per excellence, a civil servant and a father.

But sincerely speaking, you belonged to the system and you know what the system did, you won’t be spared. By shutting down your ambition, you won’t be seen as a coward, but as a man that took the alternative way out. But if you think you will win, let’s get into the political field of AKS 2015 guber I fear you will fall flat.