By Ernest Udoh-Robert
The spiritual and cosmic constellation behind the mantra; Only God, may require deeper meditation, conjuring and prayers for the emergence of a successor.
Though, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel has consistently said, the people will choose his successor. This to many pundits sounds more like a theoretical statement, not practicable especially with the current political wranglings between the two major camps of Sen. Akpabio and Gov. Udom.
However, the 2023 project appears to be the only developmental project that has engulfed the body, soul and spirit of politicians at the Local, state and National Levels.
This pulsating situation is sending feverish frenzy to politicians across party lines, shifting focus from governance, security and people’s welfare to how they can outsmart their opponents within and outside their political parties, which has made governance limbless.
In Akwa Ibom State the situation is worsened by the demise of two political gladiators. This, has greatly shakened the political permutations of Governor Udom Emmanuel, and may need him to restrategise or find himself in the murky waters of political miscarriage.
Most likely, the Governor may have had secret meetings with Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (God bless his soul) to think out a masquerading strategy that would have stunned politicians and the people.
Unfortunately, the cruel hands of death has held on to Nkanga a former Director General of the governor’s campaign organization, Divine Mandate in 2015 and 2019, a job he did creditably well.
And as the former military administrator of the State, a PANDEF leader and with his military strings he may have helped in no small measure to ensure the second coming of the Governor, today he is no more.
Another heart ache to the governor is the dead of Udo Ekpenyong, (may his rest in peace) State Chairman, People’s Democratic Party, PDP, whose grass root political reach is quintessential, but he is no more, though they both were suspected to have died as a result of complications arising from covid-19, a lot of the people spoken with, believe they were diabolically cut off, this may sound funny and shallow but it is believed by many, accordingly, they have been cut short to pave way for desperate politicians.
Deacon Udom Emmanuel’s pre-script and discursive political experience may have been laid by former Governor Godswill Akpabio, a former Senator and now, Minister, Niger Delta Affairs and an All Progressive Congress, APC leader in the state. At the funeral service of Late Air Marshall Nsikak Eduok, the ovation that heralded Godswill Akpabio was not only defeaning, it was exciting to behold, it means Akpabio is a household name and some people still love him, succinctly, it should be a wake-up call to the governor.
Akpabio, may not be loved by the PDP led government in the state, he certainly has loyalists within the ranks and files of PDP, who may not wish to be disloyal to him.
Gov. Udom’s seemingly vulnerability is further exposed by the alleged Nicodemus registration of some Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly members into APC. There is a current salient movement of PDP members to APC, who are taking advantage of the ongoing nationwide registration of APC members.
Consequently, APC will have more members registered this year and depending on where the pendulum swings and switches, they’ll hold on to the two cards of PDP and APC. It won’t be a surprise to see them with more than two party membership cards.
Another challenging bridge before the governor is the completion of ongoing projects.
Howbeit the prognosis of the philosophy behind the Toga, Completion Agenda sends a debilitating dent on the image of the government.
It gives an Impression that government may not complete projects in its kitty before the expiration of this administration. Today, wobbling distressed and in perspirating notion, the government is milling out especially with the slow pace of projects, attest that the various projects handled by government may not be completed, hence the completion agenda package.
For any right thinking person, projects should come with the intent to complete, so why an agenda for it, is there a different agenda not to complete projects?
It is therefore, knee-jerk, patch work and bad faith for such programmes to continue to take centre stage of this administration.
The Governor must buckle up, supervise and ensure that most projects are completed. This is a critical aspect towards the vision of installing the new governor come 2023. For instance, (God forbid) that Ikot Oku Ikono bridge, Ring Road III, Eket Stadium, and some other signature projects are left uncompleted, no government candidate will scale or have the people’s support.
No doubt, the Governor is buffeted with distractions and focus may not be deep because of 2023 politicking which has begun in earnest and it will take a miracle for him to complete projects and have a successor – Only God, more needed now than ever before.
