“What happens when Udom is wrong?” BY OKPO EWA

A man who always tells the truth is most often than not mistaken to be a prophet by those who did not accept the truth when eventually the truth pans out. This is being the syndrome in our polity explains with little wonder Prof. John J. Mearsheimer and Dane Radcliffe’s submission in their works respectively that officials and players in democratic political system are more likely to deceive their own people than in autocratic system deploying various patterns of deception ranging from outright lies to less blatant forms of deception which Mersheimer classifies as “spinning” and “concealments” involving making political statements without saying anything false yet deceptive. Like Max Webber warns politics is a long and slow boring of hard boards. 

Thus while the health of a democracy is said to depend in part on the ability of politicians to muster popular support for their policies which itself requires unfettered trust of the voters, the masses on the other hand are a quandary wont to believe what they hear and act by it. This invariably is what seems to tempt political office holders and seekers to exploit the people to their personal benefits by exploring the numerous ways to misrepresent fact.

Like Mersheimer J.J pointed out in his work “Why Leaders Lie” all types of lying or deception share one common denominator  in their attempt to manipulate people’s beliefs to induce them to accept a claim for the manipulators own purposes such as winning votes apart from whether it is true or supportable by sound reasons, thus, the manipulator tries to deceive the audience into thinking the contention is true or well grounded and therefore should be believed when in fact it should not - at least not for the “reasons” offered by the manipulator.

This appallingly seems to be the bane of politics in Akwa Ibom State. Suddenly a coterie of political “wanabes”, mediocre, figure heads and neophytes have thrown dignity and wisdom of caution to the winds in pursuit of cagey stomach ends under the facade of cajoling a once good man into a con project of becoming  Governor of Akwa Ibom State and ingeniously patented it “Udom Is Right”. Responding to one of these pretenders who attempted to go fanatical on me I categorically enlightened him that there is no way on earth the word “Udom” could be straight forwardly interpreted to mean right in any dialect in Akwa Ibom, that though a popular mantra for the campaign it smacks of twisting the truth in pun. And one cannot twist the truth in any faith and expect any less proportional fate in return. Plus the fact that though it may seem harmless to play upon the intelligence of the people like that it still leaves some moral questions unanswered on their part. After all, if you can do that with a meaningless thing you can do even more with a meaningful thing! I cautioned.

At the heart of our ad-saturated electoral process is a moral paradox. While politicians raise and spend billions to convince us to trust them with the responsibility of governing us coupled with the fevered competition for electorates’ endorsements is the palpable attraction to fabricate versions of truth. Since such actions inevitably undermine trust we have every cause to worry about the increasing dishonesty of political campaigns and gestures. As citizens it is our responsibility to impress on the politicians that we care about truth and honesty and that losing our trust is an unacceptable cost of deceptive politics which intrinsically violates the common moral principle of utmost good faith in our social contract and exploits the masses for the personal use of the politicians. 

Evil it is said only thrives when good men decide to do nothing but good may triumph the more when  even evil men take up arms to act good! This has been the inspiration that has fuelled the insanity in us to dare the ubiquitous deception and so far persecution remotely short of crucifixion has been our primary repercussions with state apparatus employed to breathe submission down our neck. Too many already are the names presented to the people of Akwa Ibom in befuddling succession as anointed candidates of Gov Akpabio’s replacement come 2015. From the disbanding of the AKPF leader Bishop Prof. Samuel Akpan, to the coup d’grace of the intellectual master, Deputy Governor and one time Acting Governor Obong Nsima Ekere, followed by the aborted operation Umana Okon Umana agenda. All allegedly budded and nipped by one Governor Godswil Obot Akpabio. This upsets our trust not only in the Governor but also in the people around him, those thrown out by him and those recently presented by him. One would expect one to learn from the mistakes and predicaments of others instead they seem to revel over each other’s downfall attempting vainly to raise their own castle on the scraps. Hence the dog eat dog syndrome.

Now until the appointment of Mr Udom Emanuel as The Secretary To State Government of Akwa Ibom State the innocent man had led a quiet private life and career success only for some elements to suddenly make public spectacle of him by telling the whole world that he is the newly and only authentic anointed successor to Godswil, present a bogus profile of an impeccable professional pedigree and career success, and to buttress their point they claim he has been an ever committed Akwa Ibom Statesman and PDP Faithful whose coming heralds Messiac change for the best.

 According to them this recent card of Godswil possesses a rich experience in banking success which can be harnessed to turn the state around for the best stating that one should discountenance the doctrine of tribal zoning in one breath and in another breath they agitate for him to be endorsed through the political permutations of senatorial zoning reeking of that  petulant effluvium of double standard, the indignity of approbating and reprobating in scandalous whim. But without prejudice to the dignity and pedigree of “Mr. Right” it is our duty to enquire to what extent there truly is any such thing as successful professional banker? Banking in the world has never been a truly distinct profession or business. Anybody can become a banker for all its worth regardless of his academic qualifications and training after all the Banking sector is the highest ranking patron-source of underemployment in Nigeria. 

Success in banking in this part of our clime has always been achieved through all sorts of murky waters and sealed lips deals ranging from corporate prostitution, conspiracies, grand scheming, touting, ass kissing, blackmailing, laundering, feudalism and the likes. In fact just recently, we witnessed commercial banks scamper for safety when the apex bank of the nation insisted of being the only and official banker of state bodies. Mr Right’s domain was a cheetah in that survival race.

Again the fact that Akwa Ibom State is currently one of the most indebted states in the nation leaves much question unanswered as to the complicity and otherwise of the acclaimed expert banker with the administration so responsible. Meanwhile his connection to the former SSG is still an issue for determination regarding his alleged saintliness if this change is to be true. These therefore bring us to the allegation of forgery levelled against the SSG for claiming to be the number 3 person in the Onna membership list of  the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) which we now hear to be untrue upon discovery of the original list which does not have Udom Emmanuel Gabriel in the number 3 column. 

In addition to this is the revelation that Mr Udom has always registered to vote in Lagos voting as against his claim to be PDP faithful and Akwa Ibom ranger. The import and purport of the foregoing is that if an ordinary commercial/political banker like Mr Udom can lay claim of credibility to run for governorship in Akwa Ibom State then there are a whole lot of successful professionals in this state that are more entitled to such claim. Moreso, if these illegal and immoral acts are true it therefore means that “Udom is not right” after all because the change we need should not be a simulacrum of that which we seek to change. Even if we absolve him of these acts we cannot in good sense absolve those around him and if these elements were to succeed in hoisting Udom on us no matter upright and visionary he may be they would still be the ones to frustrate his intents with the insurance of blackmailing him with the dirts they dug and covered for him to get there against which he cannot seek plausible deniability.

In all of these one must not fail to observe that the Governor is yet to announce Mr Udom as his successor despite the campaigns of the “Udom Is Right” team in contravention of electoral laws and guidelines. This should serve as caution notice to the gullible masses. And one would expect Mr Udom to learn from the fate of Mr. Michael Ignatieff who like him was introduced into Canadian politics hoping to bring the change they needed only to end up in miserable obloquy at the 2011 polls.

Another drama to this is the word that the presidency and party national leadership has been stormed by a delegation of Obong Umana Okon Umana, Don Etiebet, and co to petition the candidacy of Udom Emmanuel presenting the evidence to substantiate the zoning agreements, Udom’s contravention of electoral laws and guidelines, alleged forgery of Onna PDP membership list to reflect Udom as no.3, evidence of Mr Udom’s political sabotage of registering to vote in Lagos and never turning out to vote as well as some indicting bank transactions to which end the presidency not only recommended a candidate of Eket or Oron tribe to reconcile the parties but has recently asked Udom to pull out of the race due to overwhelming evidence, facts and security reports that are not to his favour especially in a time when PDP is desirous of reclaiming non PDP states against APC’s eagerness to add Akwa Ibom to its opposition grounds, while Edo state is still outside the grip of PDP  and Delta State quivers in the hands of  Gov. Uduaghan, Gov. Rotimi Amaechi pretentiously steering Rivers State off the PDP radar and the fate of Cross River State rocking the pendulum of uncertainty and when the interruption of the steady increasing derivation of crude oil from Akwa Ibom State cannot be contemplated. 

Apparently, Akwa Ibom is a strategic asset in the hands of any political party that captures it and no gamble is to be permitted.  The question that this raises is that if it were true that Udom is to pull out of the race or if it turns out that he is only a kite which some have erroneously mistaken for a true plane it would mean that Udom is not actually right as they misconstrue and then what will be the fate and face of those who have already received their letter of appointment as Personal Assistants, Special Advisers, Commissioners and heads of boards or those who have seen themselves already as Chairmen, Councillors, and House Members under his dream leadership? What happens to those who already oppress and taunt us with their government powers? What happens to Udom is right? What happens to Udom himself and all those who have abandoned their jobs and travelled from Lagos and Abuja back to Akwa Ibom State to form Udom’s cabinet?

What will happen in Akwa Ibom state is a lot left to the imagination when eventually “Udom is kite not right”.