For all the politically conscious people of Akwa Ibom state at home and in the Diaspora, three words are in the lips, even when they are sleeping: Supreme Court; Re-run.
While all eyes of those in PDP and their supporters are on the Supreme Court to upturn the ruling of the court of appeal which completed the hitherto piecemeal nullification of the election of Mr Udom Emmanuel by the election petitions tribunal, those in the APC camp and their supporters, are also looking at the apex court to put a stamp of finality on the ruling and send Udom into the streets to begin another round of campaign for the ultimate re-run, the first in the history of the state.
Ever since the court of appeal handed down that verdict, which the former member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Don Etiebet called ”impunity of judiciary,” there has been a lot of disquiet in the two camps. For a casual observer, both are happy that the denouement of the protracted political drama in the state would be in their favour. But a careful observation also reveals fear and tension in both camps; fear and tension which have made them jumpstart some subtle campaign against the presumed rerun even as the PDP is still hanging on the hope of divine intervention to take away the rerun gubernatorial race.
Just last week when the gubernatorial candidate of the APC, Mr Umana Okon Umana decided to come home since after the court of appeal verdict, the party staged what it called “Prayer Summit” at the campaign office of the former deputy governor of the state, Mr Nsima Ekere, who had since defected to the party from PDP after suffering the freezing out at the PDP gubernatorial primaries in Uyo, in December 2014.
It was an opportunity for the party to receive some of those feeling they could have some space in the new party; but even more so as a time to test Umana’s popularity, who, probably, before waking up from his bed in Abuja from where he came to Uyo, people had already begun to converge at the Ibom international airport as early as 7a.m awaiting his arrival. Those who could not make it to the airport, lined up on the road to welcome the APC governorship candidate to the state.
Even tricycle operators were not left out; those who could not leave their businesses to be at the airport or line up on the road to wait for the return of the APC governorship candidate, went about their businesses but with bundles broom fixed on their tricycles to show support to Umana.
For those that waited at the airport, roads, and even the Nsima Ekere campaign ground where the event took place, the scourging sun seemed not to have dampened their zeal in anywhere as they were seen to be too excited to feel the heat while the wait lasted till Umana later arrived at about 1p.m. the journey from the airport to the “Nsima Ekere Stadium” was as if Umana was making a triumphant entry into Uyo.
Speaking to newsmen shortly before the service commenced, the leader for the Coalition of APC Youth in the state, Mr. Anthony John, said that people comin out to receive Umana cut across party lines. He stressed that the people were not just there for the party, but the individual, who according to him is a “grassroots man”.
He described the APC candidate as a thorough–bred and a man who knows the problems of the people. “All those who said Umana should not be governor because he worked in the Akpabio administration do not know what they are saying, because if he had done anything bad, Akpabio would have spoken about it or even taken him to court by now. I therefore urge people of the state to forget about propaganda. Instead, they should protect their PVCs, so that during the forthcoming election, they can take their destinies in their hands by voting out the Udom Emmanuel administration”, he said.
The venue was enveloped with songs of praises to the Almighty God for Umana’s victory at the appeal court. The people sang and danced with so much enthusiasm.
Clergy men from within and outside the state thronged the venue to give spiritual support to the event. Prayers were offered, led by the men of God present at the event.
The prayer points included; prayer for repentance, prayer for thanksgiving, prayer for destruction of evil alters and rededication of the state to God, prayer for peace, unity and love, prayer for victory at the supreme court, prayer for fulfilment of God’s promise and purpose for Umana and the state, as well as prayer for God’s protection of APC and the people of the state.
The event however doubled as a harvest for the APC family in the state as many former members of the PDP defected to the party. They included; the immediate past senator for Akwa Ibom North West (Ikot Ekpene) senatorial district, Sen. Aloysius Etok; Chief Otu Ita-toyo, former state PDP Chairman, Hon. Eseme Eyibo, former House of Representative Information Committee Chairman who represented Eket Federal Constituency, as well as some former members of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly like Mr Ekpe James and Dr. Ita Udosen.
Others were former chairmen of local government areas in the state such as Mr. Mike Etim, former Chairman Itu Local Government Area of the state; Mr Ekere Ekpenyong, former Chairman, Uyo Local Government Area; Aniekan Akpan, the immediate past Chairman of Eket Local Government Area, among others.
Addressing the mammoth crowd, Umana, dressed in white lace caftan accentuated with a broom in his hand, said that his victories at the tribunal and the court of appeal were not for him as a person but for the people of the state as a whole. He said that the people had shown that no weapon or amount of money could break their spirits.
While thanking President Muhammadu Buhari for stabilizing the polity, the judiciary for upholding the truth, Umana said that the battle for the state is not an individual battle but that between freedom and slavery. He thanked the people for insisting on the freedom to choose who becomes their governor.
“APC represents that quest for freedom, inclusion and openness. The historic task of successful resistance to impunity and arbitrary use of our state resources cannot be complete until you have installed an APC government in the state. This therefore means that though we have scored important victories along the way, the war is not yet won. There is a lot of work ahead of us.
“Before I go further, I want to assure you that the leadership of our great party is aware of the diabolic plans by agents of the PDP to start another round of violence in the state, and the security agencies in the country have been fully alerted to the PDP evil plans. The era of impunity is gone for good,” he stated.
Umana stressed that the battle for the state is a battle for freedom to return the state to God and responsible leadership that is god-fearing, humble and accountable to the people and God.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Sen. Etok said they were tired of the PDP impunity in the state. He urged the people to embrace the change in the federal government and join the ruling party instead of staying in the opposition.
He said; “with APC government in the state, no Akwa Ibom person will be left behind in the scheme of things.”
Receiving the defectors, the National Vice Chairman of the party, South South, Mr Hillard Etta, said that the party would accord the defectors all rights and privileges as loyal party members. Etta urged the people to hold their PVCs tight, adding that they should not trade with their cards.The voter’s card, he said, is the only weapon that would enable them to cast their vote to candidate of their choice during the rerun.
The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Sen Ita Enang, said that the appeal court had nullified the election of Mr. Udom and charged him to vacate office.
While expressing his happiness over the decision of the appellate court, Enang said that it was time for the people to decide who should be their governor without someone they do not want, according to him, being forced down their throat.
“They went to the internet, newspapers and every medium and said that I said Akwa Ibom people are cultists. I never said so. I am asking that they should not abuse you. When I speak, they say I am inciting you. I am not inciting the youths against them. Let them come out and say that any of the things I said are lies,” he said.
Analysts have however said that the battle would be tough for APC as they don’t seem to have structures in the state, especially in the local government areas.
“Election is not won from the large crowds at rallies because those who attend one party’s rally would also surface in the rally of another party. It is won with structures and serious grassroots mobilisation. Since APC came back from the court of appeal, what serious effort have they made about bring about election winning strategies apart from going to Planet FM to talk. PDP is busying making subtle campaign. I am a member of the APC, but if we go on like this we will taste the most painful defeat,” a stalwart of the party but who declined his name in print told our correspondent.
A renowned professor of communication in the University of Uyo, Prof. Des Wilson who had been kicking against zoning in the state, described the followers of Umana’s as blind supporters.
“What Akwa Ibom people need is a man or woman who knows where he or she is going and also knows how to get there, not an ethnic chieftain who believes only in flaunting his ethnicity but inside he is a sly and calculating opportunist. What did this new ethnic champion do when, as a chieftain of the devilish administration he served for seven years, Ibibio and other Ethnic leaders who voiced opposition to its satanic activities were being systematically killed, kidnapped and ruined in many ways than one?
“Today, self-seeking spokespersons of the Ibibio who were being used like slippers during the last mad experimentation are coming out to speak against the very regime they worshiped before our very eyes. Let them go back to the postings I made during the Akpabio regime in which I predicted correctly that immediately Akpabio leaves the scene they would decamp to other groups. Is anyone surprised about the activities of these political prostitutes?
I have drawn my experience from our recent history. It won’t be long before they scamper back once they fail in their political gamble. If they had come out like this when Akpabio was riding rough shod over everybody they would have been credible. “Their ‘long throat’ for federal and state appointments and contracts has blinded them to the truth. Akwa Ibom people, I urge you to rise and run away from these people who will abandon you once the Umana project fails and no money gets to them again. Politics, they say, is about protecting self-interest.
“The so-called decamping by members of the Peoples Democratic Progressives Congress to the APC clearly shows that these guys are alone and are after their private interests not the people’s. Give them another three months or so and they would be crawling back to the PDP…
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