Attah, Akpabio And The Ides of Succession

By N.T.A, Efo

Both grapevine and non-grapevine sources which earlier made the news in town that Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio had finally given a ‘direction’ on his likely succession plan for 2015 has been confirmed.

Many who were pointing fingers at the immediate past Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Udom Emmanuel were not wrong after all. One of the sources, Weekly Insight newspaper, said the Governor personally set up a 31-man coordinating committee to see through the plan to install the former SSG as his successor at the expiration of his tenure in 2015.

I believe strongly that the Governor has a right to be interested in who succeeds him. All of us would. Show me anyone who wouldn’t and I will show you someone who still believes former President Olusegun Obasanjo is still the President of Nigeria, meaning he is living in outer space and is not in tune with our inner situation as a nation. Even in our small corners as clubs, associations, committees, name it, presidents, chairmen; we crave from the cradle of our tenure to the crest of its expiration to replace ourselves with our choices.

Immediate past Gov Victor Attah of AKS

Why would the Governor have that right? Because he has seen it all. He has met several people, amongst them those angling to take over his seat in 2015. He knows the capacity and the capability of most of them. He also has his own human-prone biases and prejudices – he may prefer someone with a chocolate complexion to one that is fair; he may prefer a former banker to a politician; he may prefer someone from Eket Senatorial District to someone from Uyo Senatorial District. You cannot deny him that right. It is inalienable. It is also incontrovertible.

Governor Godswill Akpabio of AKS, Nigeria

A little peep into the tunnel of history shows that our leaders have always had and exercised that right. Obong Victor Attah, sometimes called the architect of modern Akwa Ibom, had a certain Dr. Udoma Ekarika, his son-inlaw, in mind to occupy the seat on which Governor Akpabio, sometimes called the builder of modern Akwa Ibom, sits. Obong Attah did all he could to make sure Dr. Ekarika became the choice of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) faithful in the state. At the end of the day, Dr. Ekarika did not win the primaries.

What things did Obong Attah do humanly possible? He lobbied people including cabinet members, top level and low level politicians; church leaders; youth leaders and many others. He used the means available to politics – money, time and contacts. What he did not do was to coerce and force people into playing his son-in law. Many believe if he did, he would have succeeded.

I disagree here. Obong Attah, obviously, had a candidate that was not market friendly, not sellable by all standards. The people who rejected him, we are told, included fellow cabinet members like the former SSG, Obong Umana Okon Umana, the then Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Dr. Chris Ekong, and Dr. Ebebe Ukpong, who preferred another of their colleague, Chief Godswill Akpabio (the present Governor). Others preferred other candidates. That means they were already encamped before Dr. Ekarika was shown to them.

If that was not betrayal shown to Obong Attah’s direction, I wonder what that was. Obong Attah did not show them the way out of the cabinet, probably because he thought they were mere jokers. He thought he had other people who would deliver Dr. Ekarika. But Dr. Ekarika, who was then a Commissioner for Works, failed to fly. It was only after he failed to fly that we had stories of witch-hunting here and there – a witch-hunt of the winner through processes to collect his mandate and give same to Dr. Ekarika.

In doing this, Obong Attah maintained a picture of a cultured but aggrieved man. He first insisted on a re-run, legally tenable under the circumstances of that primary. That did not work. He, next, asked for a consensus arrangement to replace Governor Akpabio with either Senator Emmanuel Ibok-Essien, a member of the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission or  Senator Akaninyene Ukpanah. That, too, did not work. Many believe the God factor played the decider in the emergence of Governor Akpabio.

Many also believe this is why the Governor, at every opportunity, presents himself as the God’s will for the people of Akwa Ibom State – especially in the 2006 and 2010 primaries. What were the God factors at play? Many believe it was God who brought in a Chief Don Etiebet, who obviously was far above the ‘normal level’ to stand elections into office as Governor. He had been a Presidential candidate, a National Party Chairman, a Board of Trustees member of PDP. What was he looking for in the Governorship of a state? Such a big man. Well, the God factor.

Many people will tell you, without batting eyelids that it was Chief Etiebet who personally led the assault, in Abuja, on the first delegate list that was believed to have been paid for by Obong Attah in Abuja. When the list was torn into pieces in Abuja, it was Etiebet who now had an upper hand in producing a new delegate list for Oruk Anam, where Dr Ekarika also hails from. The God factor.

Many, again, believe it was God who brought in Senator Itak Ekarika to contest an election in a state he was touted as one of the most colourless and unpopular Senators sent to Abuja. Many wondered whether he could earn as much as 10 votes from even delegates in his local government area then. But he earned over 700 votes by default. The God factor.  Those votes were cancelled and many believe if the votes were not cancelled, Dr Ekarika would have claimed victory at the primary. Then came Chief Ufot Ekaete, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who many believe convinced his boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to intervene and stop a possible re-run since Dr Ekarika and Governor Akpabio’s votes did not meet the party’s requirement for an outright win. The God factor again. The rest, as they always say, is now history.

Every posturing has a way with the eventual process – to end up peacefully or otherwise. Many believe Udom Emmanuel is a more sellable material. Many also believe the time he was introduced is, though rather late, still redeemable. The problem with the redemption of time is that most people, even in the cabinet, have pitched tents in many other camps like the trio of 2006 I mentioned earlier. Now, it will be hard or even very hard for some of them to change focus and face Udom. As much as they like Udom, they are human beings - and very political ones at that - whose interests supersedes their emotion and even goodwill. Politicians discuss only interest. Their interest can make them take sides with a sheep when a brave lion is lurking around the corner eyeing their support.

I plead the Governor to continue with his direction. Set up committees as its been reported. Create a lobby machine. Reach out to people. Spend money. Use contact. We love our Governor and following his direction should not be a problem. I do not subscribe to the idea that those with other aspirants are saboteurs and betrayers; else it will be like the case of the legendry tale of someone living in a glass house throwing stones. If Udom is liked, he will fly. If he is not liked, he won’t fly.

When the elections are over and is won and lost, everyone will join the line as they did in 2006. Forget about the thing Obong Attah did after. Truth is, he joined the line at first and acknowledged that Governor Akpabio held the party’s ticket. He just may not like Governor Akpabio’s person and style, a thing that has caused him so much political discomforts and make us lose the right to enjoy his sweat over resource control to the likes of Chief Edwin Clark.

Anyway, that is a discourse for another day. What have I been saying all along? Let us keep, even in the face of the Governor’s direction, an open mind that love for another aspirant is not a betrayal of the Governor’s direction. I have sympathies for certain aspirants starting from Rt Hon Okpolupm Etteh. I have my reasons. That does not mean I don’t love my Governor. In fact, I think his direction should have been Etteh instead. But I am not the Governor. As the Governor always say, let God’s will be done again, meaning God’s will is God’s direction which may be the Governor’s direction (who knows) or not (perhaps).