Udom in Trouble

For the umpteenth time, the decision of the Government to sell Udom Emmanuel as the next Governor of the state has again failed flat and was admitted by some Exco members and Akpabio’s loyalists last weekend at PortHarcourt at Ememe Akpabio’s residence during a political think tank meeting which aim was to sell the candidacy of the state SSG. This has seriously put the gubernatorial ambition of the Onna Born banker into trouble.

THE INK gathered from very reliable sources who attended the meeting that the meeting had in attendance the state Governor, Godswill Akpabio, some Exco members, some members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, some core loyalists of the Governor and those believed in Government quarters as those that can be relied upon to deliver. Amongst those who attended the meeting were, Uduot Jack chairman of Etim Ekpo, Nse Ntuen ALGON Boss, Emmanuel Akpan of Essien Udim State constituency and Emem Akpabio’s in law Mike Sebastine amongst others.

Those who attended the meeting from Uyo were transported from the Shelter Afrique residence of the state Party Chairman Obong Paul Ekpo in a long coaster bus to PortHarcourt. Initially, the meeting was to be hosted in a certain hotel in the Rivers State capital but as events progressed, the meeting was changed to the private residence of Sir Emem Akpabio in PortHarcourt. Those who are close to the coordinators of the meeting informed THE INK reporter in Uyo yesterday that the choice of Sir Emem Akpabio’s residence was because of the fear that the ,meeting may be disrupted at any other location other than a private residence by security operatives.

At the meeting, one thing is said to have been established that the candidacy of the SSG Udom Emmanuel has failed flat to fly despite the efforts of the Government in marketing the Onna born banker. Those who spoke at the meeting are said to have expressed fears that if the government goes ahead with Udom as the only option, it may spell doom for the succession plan. To this end, stakeholders are said to have maintained that the best thing for the government to do was to source for another option in case the Udom brand does not fly as it was.

Despite the Akpabios insistence on the doubling of efforts to sell Udom, a source who attended the meeting told our reporter that, those who spoke posited that nobody has anything against the SSG but that they cannot understand why he has not been able to enjoy the acceptability of the Akwa Ibom Community.

They were however told to go back home to their different homes and constituencies to work and report back when the meeting reconvenes again. No date was however fixed for the next meeting. 

Meanwhile, another agenda that was discussed at the meeting was how to cut to size the popularity that is currently being enjoyed by the former Deputy Governor of the state, Mr. Nsima Ekere. That of the immediate past Finance Commissioner Bassey Albert Akpan and that of the leader of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Okpolupm Etteh. Stakeholders at the event were said to have been instructed by the Akpabios that Nsima Ekere, Bassey Albert and Okpolupm Etteh are for now the leading candidates in the race and they should as a matter of fact be stopped else one of them may eventually emerge the Governor of the state.

Our source said, Nsima Ekere, Albert and Etteh were targeted for blackmails by the Government blackmail agents. It was however agreed that some party chairmen of the different LG Chapters who are in support of Ekere, Albert and Etteh be removed through either a consensus or a creation of mix ups in their respective chapters to allow for the dissolution of the excos so that they can be replaced with those who will be loyal to the Governor and also play the card in favour of the Akpabios ahead of the 2015 gubernatorial election.
‘My dear journalist, let me tell you the truth, any moment from now do not be surprise to see spurious allegations and blackmails on the likes of Nsima Ekere, Bassey Alber and Okpolupm Etteh. These guys are the leading contenders for the Hiltop mansion. The government will be behind the plot to put these guys in bad light and that was the bone of the PortHarcourt meeting we attended last weekend.’

Continuing our source said, Government is surprised that the trio are enjoying so much popularity in the state and somebody like Nsima Ekere is highly favoured to pick the ticket since he is from Ibibio and hails from Eket Senatorial District were the governorship has been zoned to by the PDP calculation.

Our source speaking on the fate of Obong Umana Umana and Bishop Sam Akpan as discussed at the Port Harcourt meeting said those ones were dismissed as no threats and that the meeting arose with an advice that all members should retreat and seek ways of how to stop these persons in their respective constituencies. A dirty plot against these persons may be the next point of target by the Government stakeholders who are bent on making the 2015 election a do or die affair.