On Akwa-Ibom PDP crises

BY NELSON UTIP

The Ibibios will go down in history as the first and only majority tribe that voluntarily relinquish power to the minority tribes in the state in Nigeria. Obong Victor Attah, a patriarch of the modern Akwa-Ibom in his wisdom and sincerity of purpose handed over power to the annangs, where the present Governor chief Godswill Akpabio is from, that his inlaw could not become the governor is a story for another day. The rotation was to continue in the three senatorial districts of Uyo, Ikot-Ekpene, and Eket. 

After the eight years of Akpabio which has witnessed uncommon transformation, and a radical change in all expects of life in the state, it was expected for the rotation to continue, and without consulting an oracle, the batton lands at the threshold of Eket senatorial district. Oron people claims that the turn is theirs as after Ibibio, and Annang, they are the next in population. Oron people have a genuine case, in numerical strength they are the third in ranking, they have never produced a governor since the south eastern, cross river era. Oron is in Eket senatorial district,

they support the rotation but lay claim to the slot as a component of Eket senatorial district. Oro nation has a legitimate claim they should be placated. The purpose of this write-up springs from the just concluded PDP governorship primaries in the state, and the ripples that followed the event. A group of dissatisfied governorship aspirants under the nomenclature of G22 are crying havoc, and threatening to let slip the dogs of war (Shakespeare) their grouse is that the delegates who voted at the primaries were handpicked by the incumbent to favour his surrogate Udom Emmanuel. Some elders of the party led by Obong. Attah, Don Etiebet and Mkpubre issued a paid advertorial in some newspapers condemning the process and forbidding INEC to accept Udom as the PDP candidate. The case is in court and may not be determined soon.

There is a threat for the dissatisfied aspirants to dump PDP for APC and ironically, APC has already given their guber ticket to Umana Okon Umana, a core Ibibio man from Uyo senatorial district. Where does this take Akwa Ibom to? Firstly, there may be a sympathy vote for Umana from Oron and part of Ibibio nation as he plans to pick his running mate from Oron. I don’t believe that the Ibibios as a nation will want to be dragged into this selfish politics, they stand tall in the comity of ethnic groups as the only majority ethnic group that voluntarily relinquished power to the minority, can they sacrifice this good will in the after mirth of selfishness? Obong Victor Attah to me is a hero of the modern day Akwa Ibom, he should not allow some politicians to dragged him to a war of blame, a war he will not win, and a war that will dwindle his Political image. Wadata house should as a matter of Urgency wade into the crises in Akwa-Ibom PDP if they want President Jonathan to win in Akwa-Ibom state and retain the state for PDP. Waiting in the wings with prayers are the vulture, waiting for the final breath of PDP in the state to swoop and scavenge. The godfather of APC is a housefly with a long proboscis, if he injects the proboscis in the economy of a state; it is always disastrous as he will suck it dry. Akwa Ibom is the richest state in Nigeria and the opposition can sacrifice anything to grab it.

Back to PDP primaries, the dissatisfied gubernatorial aspirants should sheath their swords and embrace dialogue, apart from the governorship, there are other spoils of war. They should not decamp to any order party. They should join hands with Udom Emmanuel and take the state to the next level.
No politician from Uyo senatorial district has the moral right to aspire to the hilltop mansion, that will amount to killing the only baby boy in a lineage the good ideas of the Attah era of allowing power to rotate would have been defeated, and the real losers would be the Ibibios.

My brothers from Oron should be contented with the senatorial slot, they are the only people with a genuine case, they should be pampered with other appointments to give them the sense of belonging. In Akwa-Ibom State we are all brothers, at least we understand each other linguistically, we should continue to live as one.

They were other casualties from the PDP primaries, in fact in the history of PDP in Akwa-Ibom state, this is the first time a free and fair primaries have been conducted in Uyo senatorial district, the incumbent senator. Ita Enang alias Udo Mfoniso lost to Obong Bassey Albert. In Itu Federal Constituency, the candidate support by the powers that be, Hon Kennedy Ekong lost out to Dr. Henry Archibong. Senator Aloysius Etuk lost to the governor in Ikot Ekpene senator district. There are pockets of surprises in other climes. This shows that nobody had the power to impose any candidate. PDP is a strong fortress, a big umbrella, I expect all those who could not win to lick their wounds, there is always another day.

Akwa Ibom state is too precious to be left in the hands of scavengers.

Nelson Utip writes in from Lagos