AKPABIO'S DEFECTION IS FOR HIS POLITICAL SURVIVAL NOT...

AKPABIO'S DEFECTION IS FOR HIS POLITICAL SURVIVAL NOT...
                          By:
Nurudeen Dauda
              August 7, 2018                         
nurudeendauda24@gmail.com nurudeendauda24@yahoo.com
nurudeendauda.blogspit.com

Many people do not know that, there has been a long time "Cold War" between Senator Akpabio, the political Godfather and Governor Udom Emmanuel, the political Godson. 

All politics is local. Politics is indeed a game of all possibities. All Political equations are quadratic in nature. In politics there is neither a permanent friend nor a permanent enemy. What is permanent in politics remains interest. However, In my view, political interest should be guided by principle and ideology.

In my observation, there are two categories of defectors in Nigeria politics of today ;namely : defectors for their inordinate political ambitions and defectors for their political survivals. Virtually all politicians in Nigeria are political parties' platform seekers.

I am not fully convinced that Senator Godswill Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom state defects from the PDP as a Minority leader to APC simply because he wants to be Senate President. Indeed all politics is local. In my understanding, his defection has more to do with his local issue with his state Governor.

In Akwa Ibom state there are three dominat ethnic groups; namely: the Ibibio, which is the largest ethnic group who are predominantly found in Uyo Senatorial zone , Annang the second largest ethnic group predominantly found in Ikot- Ekpene Senatorial zone and Oron which is the third largest ethnic group predominantly found in Eket Senatorial zone.

It was crystal clear that , Senator Akpabio as the then governor of Akwa Ibom state before the 2015 governorship elections, stood by Mr. Udom Emmanuel from Eket Senatorial zone against all odds before he emerged as the governor of the state in 2015.

It was alleged that governor Akpabio pushed for the maintainance of zoning formular to the Eket Senatorial zone which is predominantly by Oron, the third largest ethnic group in the state in 2015 not for political balance but, that he feared that if power returned to the Uyo Senatorial zone which was strongly pushed by one of the most powerful politicians in the state, former governor Obong Victor Attach of the Ibibio, the largest ethnic group, he will cease to be the most powerful politician in the state.

Governor Obong Victor Attah (1999-2007) who is of the Ibibio,was said to have opposed the emergence of governor Akpabio who is of the Annang ethnic group.Governor Attach's opposition to Akpabio was the beginning of their personality clash.

However, Senator Akpabio's defection, In my observation, could be best understood from political survival point of view not necessarily for his desire to be Senate President having fallen  apart with his political Godson ,Governor Udom Emmanuel. More so, the reality on ground is that, there is a better political relationship between them that has gone beyond reconciliation. 

According to the January 11, 2018 reports of Premium Times ,Senator Akpabio’s grouse with Governor Emmanuel is his alleged abandonment of the Four Point by Sheraton Hotel in Ikot- Ekpene and Uyo-Ikot- Ekpene Road which is in Akpabio's Senatorial District of Ikot-Ekpere started by him when he was the governor of the state.

It was alleged by same report that, Governor Emmanuel is said to be angry and frustrated with the Uyo-Ikot Ekpene Road because of the huge amount of money allegedly taken out for the road project by the Akpabio administration, without completing it.

It was further alleged that, Governor Emmanuel was said to have said :“For the Ikot Ekpene hotel, that one I can’t help it. We must still put in more money. A lot of people have started making noise that the government has refused to open the hotel. Sorry, building is different from hotel. “I need $7.2 million to turn that building into a hotel. And as at today, I have paid a deposit of $4 million, remaining $3.2 million. And I am still looking for the $3.2 million to pay so that I can turn that building into a hotel. It is not yet a hotel,”(Premium Times, January,11, 2018).

Governor Udom Emmanuel had in January, 2018 sacked two cabinet members who are said to be loyalists to former governor Godswill Akpabio. He had also once sacked the secretary to the Akwa Ibom state government, Sir Ekemba Umoren, in January 15, just nine days after sacking the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Udo Ekpeyong. All the sacked officials are said to be loyalists to Senator Akpabio from the Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District where he comes from.

It appears that, Senator Akpabio who is from Annag ethnic bloc,the second largest ethnic group in the state, felt betrayed by his political Godson and is now determined to team up with the Ibibios ethnic bloc, who are largest in the state in order to unseat his former political Godson, Governor Emmanuel of the Eket Senatorial zone. Will he succeed? Only time will tell! Indeed there is neither a permanent friend nor a permanent enemy in politics. 

May God bless Nigeria!

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