AK 2015 CAMPAIGNS: LET’S KEEP THE TEMPO By Lucy Daniel As the campaign trains of the APC and PDP traverse the shores of Akwa Ibom with their songs. of change and continuity, one believes it will continue rancour-free. So far, for the one week campaigns experienced by both the APC and PDP, even the blind man can attest that if it continues this way, Akwa Ibom State, unlike Kano, Abia, Bauchi and even the president’s own state would be left out in electoral violence. Meanwhile, political observers have observed that Akwa Ibom campaigns is not free from normal blackmails and name callings. The Peoples Democratic Party described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Agressive People’s Congress while the APC also described PDP as People Deceive People. The governorship candadates are not left out in the show. The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Mr Udom Emmanuel, has given the definition of democracy to mean not government of the people by the people and for the people but government of the youth, by the youth, and for the youth. Udom said democaracy cannot strive where there is no peace. Emmanuel in the cause of his campaign corroborated the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who said during the 2011 elections and even now that no blood of any Nigerian is worth any election. So far, the APC is talking about change and the PDP is talking about continuity. But the truth of the matter is that we are moving deep into the campaigns. Let us remember that as a people we have not completely come out of the 2011 election voilence that deprived us of our loved ones, our homes and our intergrity as a people. If what Governor Godswill Akpabio said the other day at Obot Akara and Urue Offong/Oruko is anything to go by, that in 2007 elections they were able to manage 57 candidates, why is it that G-22 cannot manage themselves. Well, both Akpabio and the G-22 know better. But if I may join issues with Arc Nya Etok in one of his press conferencecs this year, Etok did mention that in 2007, Bishop Cletus Bassey called all the 57 candidates and asked them to step down for one person but all of them insisted that God sent them to the people of Akwa Ibom State. He did say also that at the end of the day, God finally chosed one out of the 57 which was Godswill Akpabio. It is true that all the 22 hopefuls before the primaries had divine calls and mandates from God to become the governor of Akwa Ibom State. But as it stands today, wheither by mistake, ommission, commission, hijacking or rigging, one person has emerged as the flagbearer. Let us all show love and bury our individual mandates and carry the mandate of Akwa Ibom project at this point. Many may say, how can we carry Akwa Ibom project when Akpabio handpicked someone for us ? How can we carry Akwa Ibom project when N1million was paid to delegates during primaries ? How can we carry Akwa Ibom project when Unoma, a woman for that matter, discovered Udom ? How can we carry Akwa Ibom project when Attah did not produce a successor ? How can we carry Akwa Ibom project when Udom is not a politician and many more questions. But in all these, methink, the very reason all of us should carry Akwa Ibom project is that peace may prevail. It was Wole Soyinka in J.P. Clarks Night Rain, that says ‘if we cry gently gently what heart, ears… will hear us. Since we have cried and nobody hears us. The PDP from the national to the state, the governor, the president, for the sake of our peace, our lives, our continued existence as a united front, should collectively sacrifice individual mandates for the sake of our children and our future so that posterity will remember us for this. We should sheath our swords and continue to co-exist as one united body and entity called state. I know it could be so painful considering all the thoughts that fly. God said it and it does not come to pass, the money, time and so many other issues at stake. It could be so painful the governor promised me based on all I did for him in the past. It could be so painful, my contributions in the Akwa Ibom project. Considering all these is enough to make one really crazy and would want to take all, but remember Christ gave all even his life on the Cross that we may live and not only live but live abundantly. As children of God which we all are, we should show love to Akwa Ibom State. But as a person, I see the hand of God in this year’s election. I see God in the characters of Udom and Umana, I see love in them. Love of God and love to the people of Akwa Ibom State. I see each of them still pampering each other. They have tried so far. I have not heard Udom remind Umana how his father stole a goat in far away Nsit Ubium and I have not also heard how Umana abuse Udom how his father stole a fowl in far away Onna. This shows the character of two responsible human beings that are set to change the society if given an opportunity. I love them, Udom and Umana. To me, the beauty of democracy in an election is campaigns so that they can unveil their manifestos for us to hear, not name calling and character assasination, not blackmail. What we want to hear from Udom and Umana for now is Yes ! Umana change, what change ? Yes ! Udom, continuity, What continuity ? We want to hear you come out of your shell and address issues. At this point, the APC and PDP flagbearers should be desperate about what, if voted into power, they will do for the people of Akwa Ibom State. We want to hear how they will be able to change the mindset of a typical Akwa Ibom person that believes in etok syndrome. We want to hear how they would change the youth from being professional politicians to professionals. What we want to hear at this point from the flagbearers is how to promote peace in Akwa Ibom State and not to tear the state apart. We want to hear how the flagbearers, if voted into power, will be able to translate our economic endowment into Songhai as Dr Chris Ekpenyong, the former deputy governor of this state, requested for Obot Akara people. To our elders, I beg to say that this is not the time for pay back. Yes, why the government is not working is because when we were supposed to be requesting for something from the incoming government, we used the chance and opportunity to fight back and intend to take our pound of flesh. No, forget the past and let it go. Use your chance and opportunity, don’t let it go. I can still remember, at Nsit Ubium, the starting point of the campings, one would have expected Senator Effiong Dickson Bob with his wealth of experience to request for tangible things for his people, but the two-time senator did not do that. To him, it was an opportunity to get back at Umana Okon Umana and in the process requested for a police station. And I asked, Is the police station the only thing Umana took to his Ndiya home? What a shame ! Ambassador Sam Edem, himself a carrier diplomat, did not also help matters because he too gave PDP 100 per cent votes but without a price. I am not a politician, but if I may go by the word of God, does the Bible not say that we should give him what pains us. If Edem gives PDP 100 per cent votes free, where is the place of Luke 12 :48 in his open cheque. Many thanks to Hon Onofiok Akpan Luke who reminded the incoming governor that there is a parcel of land for development in the area. Methink as a people we should not allow politics to becloud our sense of reasoning. I witnessed how Oro youths cornered the PDP governorship flagbearer in his campaign office in Ewet Housing and presented their blueprint to him. Top on their request was Ibaka Deep Seaport, good roads, etc. To me, I saw a people that are ready for continuity. To me, Oro people are ready because within them before the coming of the visitors, the house was set. I call on other LGAs to borrow a leaf from Oro youths. They might have lost out in sucessive governments but in the coming government, I see Oro nation being favoured. Wetheir it is going to be the government of Udom Emmanuel or Umana Umana, I see a government that is going to work with blueprint. I see a government that would address issues and solve problems. The paramount ruler in one of the Oro nations (names withheld) cried when asked about the place of the traditional institution in the politicis of Akwa Ibom State. He cried because according to him, the traditional fathers are gagged. I stopped to asked again, are traditional institutions gagged or the traditional fathers mingled in politics in a very dirty way ? My take please. If the traditional institutions were to be themselves for that matter, no power, be it government or money, will be able to gag them. But now that the traditional institution, especially in Akwa Ibom State, have derailed, will they say in the incoming government, never again will the traditional fathers hold press conferences to decide who becomes the governor of the state? Will they after the bitter lessons of now be able to allow the governor of the state be decided at the polls based on what the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria says? I want to believe at this point that based on my interraction with most of them during the cause of this campaigns most of them have learnt their lessons. On youths, the governorship flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party did say the other day in the cause of addressing Oro youths that he wants to govern the kind of youths that will be fishing rather than being given fishes. And I seem to buy Udom’s setiments. If Udom Emmanuel is bold to say this at this point, I believe him or maybe he has not much political blood in him. But all the same, for him to say this now means he is ready to empower youths of Akwa Ibom State. Udom also requested for an election without blood from youths. He made bold to say that no dead person can either vote or be voted for. On the other hand, the flagbearer of the APC also emphasized on election without blood but harped on free and fair election where youths would be fully involved. Beaming a searchlight of the campagains so far from Nsit Ubium to Oruk Anam from the PDP, one can easily observe that most people are not in support of those that left the party. At Nsit Atai, one of the persons that spoke asked a question that is still yearning for answers: ‘before now the people had no houses, no business places, no cars and now there are proud owners of houses, businesses, fleet of cars etc. ‘ It cannot be them everytime. This time it is us. It is our time also to buy cars, build houses and own businesses’, he said. He even concluded, ‘don’t mind them, they will come back’. At Urue Offong/Oruko, one of the speakers also describes the decampees as Aggrieved People’s Congress. He also asked where those people were yesterday. But from the oppossing side, they see it differently too, there are cheated, maligned and their right completely taken from them, hence the need to fight back. But in all these, let us consider the interest of the masses, for no individual interest should be considered paramount except the interest of the generality of Akwa Ibom people which we all seem to represents. The press is not left out in the struggle to actualize the decmocracy of our dream. Here as never before, let us as pen pushers, at a certain point stop and ask ourselves some salient questions. As journalists, let us not give out ourselves as prey to politicians. Let us not help to destroy rather than build our society. Let us practice development journalism for we owe the society so much trust, hope and above all accurate reports. To the campaign trains of all the politicial parties campaigning in the shores of Akwa Ibom, let us keep the tempo and maitain peace as the political parties traverse the shores of Akwa Ibom. The time for the much needed peace in Akwa Ibom is now.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 02:16:39 +0000
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