It is true that prior to the primary election processes for the selection of candidates who will present the various parties in the 2015 elections, the cash crunch in the state had bitten hard on every segment of the economy. The resultant complaint was that politicians were hoarding money to be released when the political process kicks in. Much of what citizens say about aspirants, to a large extent, becomes the functions of what the highest bidder is prepared to pay. The attitude in itself is undenyably the product of years of hunger and want in this land of plenty.
However, the problem with the situation is that history, character and truth is relegated to the background as people, individually and collectively, accept to be hirelings just to grap as much as they can. Though majority of Akwa Ibom people know who their supposed leaders really are, they tend to shy away from speaking out either for reason of whatever temporary gains they may make or as a result of fear. The few others who are opportuned to have access to the media utilize it to shout for or against oppenent(s) they desire to undo.
Take for an instance, what is happening in the APC Akwa Ibom State today. Before now, Obong Umana Okon Umana besides Chief Godwills Obot Akpabio, literarilly, was the most villified individual in this state before he was removed from government. That Umana was the intellectual engine room of the Akpabio’s government is not at all desputed by both Gov. Akpabio and Akwa Ibom people and his alleged sins are well known to the people.
Umana in a press conference had admitted that Godswill Akpabio pitched him against prominent Ibibio kinsmen after promising to make him the next governemnt in 2015. In essence, Umana’s admission is that he was used by Akpabio to destory other prominent Akwa Ibom Sons like Ambassador Sam Edem just to mention one, and others as generally alleged. He did this to remain the only and last Ibibio man standing. While in government his tactics seemed to work well until Mrs Unoma Akpabio gave him the boot.
In short, all the alleged crimes of Godswill Akpabio and his government were attributed to Umana and he has not denied it. But due to politics of money and the often repeated boast by Godswill Akpabio that “What money can not do more money can do” some Ibibio people consider Obong Umana as the richest Ibibio man who possess the financial muscle to match Akpabio kobo for kobo. And having been the engine room of Akpabio’s fraudulent governemnt, he can also match his former boss fraud for fraud, tricks for tricks and crookedness for crookedness.
Desperate, the people are not bothered about the source of Umana’s wealth or the character of his percieved messiaship provided, in their assumption, Akpabio is prevented from imposing his stooge on the state. In this desperation many soon ignored to remember the Umana they know and love to hate. Akwa Ibom people, maybe, have not known the fact that Umana was coaxed into the governorship race by a cabal who are now colonizing him and who, given the opportunity, will turn out to be worst than the ones Akpabio now sorrounds himself with.
Hollow as the reasoning that cash is the factor that will determine who takes over from Akpabio, many forgot that the issue of the freedom of Akwa Ibom people from the clutches of the Akpabio’s and his deadly accolites transcends money. In the matter of money, it can be observed that somehow Umana did not dissappoint that expectation. He did brought out raw cash in billions, and those who have virtually held the former SSG hostage assuring that he is the next governor of the state became the conduit for the billions of Naira that reached some hungry Akwa Ibom people in piecemeals. The Messiah has come, the Messiah has come!! The shout rang out, people kow-towed as the crumbs from the table of Umana’s Managers reach Akwa Ibom people under their table without taking uninfluenced look at the prospect of an Umana government.
The most suprising actors in the entire funny scenario are media practitioners who throw caution, neutrality and time-tested ethics of cross-checking facts to the dogs as they plunge-in; take sides and recieve cash compensation for ochestrating smear campaign and insult. While Umana’s strategists employ the “destory opponent and build our man” tactics in their campaign, they deliberately ignore the culture of internal democracy and progresssive approach to governance which has endeared the APC to Nigerians in their struggle to liberate Nigeria from the corruption and oppression of the PDP, making Sen. John Udoedehe their target.
First, Umana’s team had spread on the internet and print media that Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu gave Udoedehe the sum of N2b for the party in Akwa Ibom State which he, according to them, ernbezled. Nobody gave the distinguished former minister the opportunity to respond to the falsehood as it went viral until Ahmed Tinubu himself in a widely reported response to press enquires dismisssed such hollow thrash.
Silenced in their mischieve, Umana’s men chasing another shadow went to the market with a new spin that Udoedehe has entered into a secret pact with Udom Emmanuel to work against the success of Umana Umana. Sincerely speaking, most of Umana’s hench men who churn out these false hood for cash and cars are clearly aware that Udoedehe would not in his wildest immagination violate his principle of consistency to condescend to such mundane act of betraying his conscience and supporters for peanuts, yet they had to do what they are doing in order to milk as much cash, as they can, from Umana not minding whether their benefactor wins election or not.
Not done, a very laughable slur was designed. This time it was alleged that Sen. Udoedehe is sponsored by Godswill Akpabio who has alreday paid him N500m and that Udoedehe will soon be on his way out of APC to the PDP. Such mud is only believable to those who have mortgaged truth for Umana’s stolen naira as events presently exposes their want of character and integrity. The fact as we all know is that Udoedehe had been to prison, faced treason trial and snubbed all approaches to accept Akpabio’s dirty offer but decided to suffer and be deprived rather than betray the people of this state. If one may ask, how much is N500m to John James Akpan Udoedehe whom Akpabio have been trying to reach in person and through emisaries to no avail? Even a child in the street of this state anywhere knows that such cheap blackmail amounts to nonsense and is utterly riddiculous.
Unfortunately, in a society like ours where even consciences are monetised, the over all objective of the people’s freedom becomes secondary to percuniary gains. Although this gives immediate relief to the pains of hunger as Umana’s cash comes into fill their 8year long empty wallets, the respite have been gained at the expense of the future. Recall that after the inconclusive APC governorship primary at the Uyo township stadium, those who were sponsored to sell Umana as the elected APC governorship candidate neither knew anything about the provisions of the party’s guidelines nor comprehended the implication of what Mfon Umanah who watched the video recording of the event in far away United State refered to as “Ibat Ekpri Akata”.
It is inconcievable therefore that the likes of former Commissioner, John Harry, who was less than 3 weeks old then in the party could in the usual PDP like manner surplant the National Panel to become the returning officer who employed ‘Ibat Ekpri Akata’ jumping from 99 to 200, 99 to 700, as they cooked up an option A4 which is not provided for in the APC guidlelines. That crooked strategy of using non-delegate and thugs to manaufacture a non existent format for the primary backfired as well meaning APC officials who watched the video were of the unanimous view that the inconclusive excercise was a carry-over of the usual PDP fraud. Interestingly, to expose the fraud employed by Umana’s camp and show their true colour to Akwa Ibom people, they rushed to the press to declare that the visiting appeal panel members who watched that show of shame castigated Udoedehe, but the truth was and still remain the reverse.
Umana and his managers could not distort or deny the content of the record of proceedings at the Uyo township stadium even with the billions he is reported to have spent in that regards. Some of us cannot hide our admiration for the APC’s strict adherence to democratic ideals. It was not suprising therefore that the attempt to make APC more like the PDP which Umana ran away from informing those who cared to listen that he is now a progressive, his men, like Akpabio’s men whom they are, were everywhere on the Radio, TV and Newspapers announcing Umana as the new money bag, APC ticket holder and face of the party in the state. It is good that they have now been exposed for what they really are, fraudsters.
It was indeed a better strategy that Sen. John James Udoedehe spoke the truth and kept quite as Umana’s paid hatchet men and women had field days insulting and abusing him.
Now that the APC, convinced beyond all doubts that what transpired during the inconclusive primary was not only in breach of the party’s guidelines for the primary but also an allian invasion of the party’s culture of respect for internal democracy, have cancelled that display of fraud and shame, the ever patient Akwa Ibom people and Nigerians at large are waiting for the next sets of rubbish the Umana Camp will spew out against Udoedehe.
The billions of naira Umana allegedly spent to buy the greedy men who came to supervise the primary have gone down the drain and nobody, it appears, is asking pertinent questions. Such soul searching question may necessarily include why Umana purportedly popular and generally acceptable to his people is spending so much to make himself king. Those who sponsored the radio, television and newspaper lies that the national working committee of APC have declared Umana and transmitted his name to INEC as its flag bearer in Akwa Ibom State are shameless political harlots whose lies to the very people they desire to govern is now made manifest by the cancellation of the inconclusive shame ochestrated by Umana and his men.
Umana did everything posible to sell himself on the basis of the cancelled primaries which was flatly rejected because APC, unlike the PDP, still have men with conscience who insist on the principle of fairness according to party rules. The honest question to ask now is, between Umana Okon Umana who unilaterally declared himself APC candidate and the party which refused his entreaties and cancelled the botched primaries for a fresh one who lied? As a matter of fact, those who assume that Umana has so much money have not really cared enough to ask how much he has. If as it is assumed,Umana Okon Umana has enough money to match Godswill Akpabio cash for cash, can he match Godswill fraud for fraud, strategy for strategy? When Godswill Akpabio masterminded the non-release of PVC to a large percentage of the people of Ibibio extraction where was Umana’s strategy?
Again, how can Umana with his much touted billions and his band of decampees who, out of defeat, ran away from confronting Akpabio naira for naira, kobo for kobo in the PDP suddenly defeat Udom using the platform of APC, assuming he had the nod of the party to fly its governorship flag in 2015? Whatever strategy the Umana camp assume they have, begining with the Smear Campaign against Udoedehe, they must shamefully admit that poisoning the mind of APC’s grassroot supporters who outnumber his greedy so called supporters, and who stood their grounds when he sought with Akpabio to destory the party, will only divide and not unite. Umana decieved Akwa Ibom people that he decamped with 28,000 supporters yet the party office is not a beehive of activities registering Umana’s phantom suporters. What a lie!
The only thing that can defeat the PDP and Akpabio’s Udom Emmanuel is a united determination of the people of this state not to remain slaves any longer to Akpabio and his stooge after 2015. Is it not enough lesson that 22 aspirants in the PDP cannot up-turn Akpabio’s corrupt scheming to foist Udom – his maternal cousin on the PDP and the entire state after 8years of wastful and corrupt rulership?
It is important to note that the oil boom which gave Akwa Ibom so much money to waste in funding PDP in Nigeria is gone. Big economies are colapsing, it is no longer business as usual. Let us leave sentiment, illusion and smear campaign, appraise our likely predicament under Akpabio’s stooge for another 8years under a very harsh economic atmosphere, if we must wrestle power from the present cabal and take our destinies in our hands for good.
Enough of these lies and deciet. Umana Okon Umana and Godswill Akpabio are diffferent sides of the same coin. No one can win evil by confronting it with evil. A word is enough for the wise.
Signed:
Mr. Edem Aniekeme
APC INTERGRITY FORUM
AKWA IBOM STATE CHAPTER
