By Fred Itua
With the recent passage and assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill into law, all is now set for the conduct of the general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), next year. Similarly, primaries of the various political parties, are expected to be concluded before the end of June, 2022. That leaves only about three months for the political actors to slug it out.
At the national level, the contest is clearly between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). At the sub-national levels, the permutations aren’t so different. The difference, however, is that, governors are unwilling to concede the right to choose their successors to the people.
That appears to be the genesis of the crisis that may rock the PDP in Akwa Ibom. For instance, Governor Udom Emmanuel, has solely anointed his successor one year before the election, without recourse to other heavyweights in the state, who have gone far ahead to solicit support from stakeholders and the party.
One of the heavyweights in the state, who appears to have secured the support of many PDP leaders, politicians and ordinary people, is Onofiok Akpan Luke. Among the many pretenders and contenders for the position, he is one of the frontrunners.
This claim was clearly on display on Wednesday, March 16th, 2022, when Luke celebrated his 44th birthday and officially declared his intention to succeed Governor Emmanuel. The event, which shutdown Uyo metropolis, witnessed a mammoth crowd of ordinary people, students, politicians and stakeholders, in their thousands, to witness what stakeholders have now termed ‘The Uyo Declaration’.
Luke, according to stakeholders, who have been appraising the situation, isn’t new to politics. He’s a former President of Students’ Union, a former aide to Governor Godswill Akpabio and a former Speaker of Akwa State House of Assembly. He’s the youngest so far to occupy the position since the creation of the state.
Though a member of the opposition PDP in the House of Representatives, Luke heads the sensitive Committee on Judiciary, despite being a first timer. On the floor of the House, Luke’s oratory and his deep knowledge of issues, stakeholders believe, will be an asset, as he prepares to slug it out with fellow contenders.
Declaring his intentions, Luke said: “I identify as a local boy with the understanding of the challenges of our people, with a world view of development issues; having been born, suckled and bred in your neighborhood and having also gained international experience as a scholar and as a representative of my country at various levels.
“I represent the bridge between the past, the present and future, I represent the young and the old, the analogue and the digital generation, the rich and the poor, the haves and the have-nots. This gives me a unique perspective on issues that cut across the various strata of our society.”
On his audacious manifesto, Luke explained: “I intend to use my wealth of experience as a public sector administrator, a lawyer, and an advocate of good governance to serve this state by bringing government closer to the people for socio-economic development, and to reposition Akwa Ibom State for greater prosperity under the theme of Building Together, Growing Together.
“My objective is to rally the abundant human resources towards building a vibrant and diverse economy in Akwa Ibom State, while leveraging our infrastructural development and active youthful population to create jobs and provide visionary and selfless leadership to consolidate on the gains of past and present administrations.
“We have been blessed with good leaders who have contributed in great measure towards the development of the state, with transformative projects and progressive policies in areas such as Agriculture, Education, and Infrastructure etc.
“One example of such transformative policies is the area of education, free and compulsory education programme, which was initiated by the administration of his Excellency, Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio and sustained by the administration of Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel with the aim of improving access to the education for young people.
“Our state’s Aviation development is another example in this regard. The Victor Attah International was initiated by Governor Victor Attah. The airport was built by Governor Godswill Akpabio whose administration landed the first plane and commenced commercial activities.
“Governor Emmanuel has since continued with this vision leading to the birthing of an airline-Ibom Air and the implementation of various improvements at the airport and today effort is being made towards the completion of the MRO.
“Today, Ibom Air is the envy of other airline operators, and a symbol of the innovation and willpower that Akwa Ibom State possesses. This is evidence of the synergy and continuity in policy implementation that has existed in our state, and that is why, we intend to also continue building upon the achievements of previous and present administrations; add our own initiatives, all aimed at positioning us for a broad-based prosperity.
“These policies’ continuity, adaption and improvement can also be seen in the deep seaport development and in the agricultural sector etc.”
Luke, while responding to his critics who he said have wrongly judged him, said: “To those who feel I’m too young and those who feel I have spent so many years in public service, have I been found wanting in character, competence and delivery throughout my spell in the different offices I have occupied?
“As every human is prone to be, I may not be perfect in the discharge of my mandates but I know the heart I have for humanity and the passion I have for service; a passion that has led me to be selfless in my years of public service.
“I invite and urge you therefore to make the Amazing Grace Project your preferred choice for the governorship of our dear state come 2023.”
For Akwa Ibom State government, issues surrounding who will succeed the governor will be settled. Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information, Ini Ememobong, said the governor will step in at the right time and address concerns of aspirants before the primaries.
Ememobong said: “Truth is that, there are many interests. All the gentleman contesting love the PDP and won’t leave. All of them got there through the PDP. I doubt if any of them will work against the PDP. Many of them want to be governor, but they know that there can only be one person that will emerge. The rest will team up and support the candidate. Politics is war without guns. We will sort ourselves out. APC is not a threat here.
“A time will come when that will happen. The governor will at some point step in and settle the issue. Those contesting are all brothers and they’ll meet and do what’s best for the state in the end. I can assure you.”
Explaining why the interest is high in the state, the Commissioner said: “If you had more than one girlfriend, why was it difficult to pick one as a wife? It is akin to that. It is a mixture of objectivity and subjectivity. If you look at the race, there are two critical components- character and competence. If for instance the governor says he wants his successor to come from the Executive which is usually what happens and you’ve many qualified people, what happens?
“Then you look at character and this is also very subjective. Character is like beauty. It is in the eyes of the beholder. The person who wants to pick a successor knows what he wants. Even within the Executive, if you ask people who the next governor should be and the qualities they desire, it will be different from where the governor stands. While we see it as a observer, the governor sees it differently.
“The governor knows more about the position than everyone, including the deputy governor. It is out of place that there will be struggle on who becomes the next governor. Even the Bible says that the only the violent will take it by force. There will be struggle. As a former students’ leader, we will say struggle continues.
“The next question should be why do we struggle? We now go into the past of those struggling for the position of the governor. We are not different from our past. We can’t be completely different from our past.
“The average person here is very enlightened. If you go to Anambra State, what drives a person there is commerce. What drives a person in Akwa Ibom State is politics. Even your wife and child are interested in what happens here. Even my children are interested. Even though they can’t vote, children want to know.
“It is a politically charged environment. Unlike Lagos State, it’s different here. In Lagos, most elites don’t know who the Local Government chairman in their area is. Some don’t know the name of the local government they live. They pay their taxes and move on. In Akwa Ibom State, everyone knows who a councillor is. The political awareness is high. The people are conscious of who leads them.”