From Joe Effiong, Uyo

Senator Aloysius Etok is the chairman of the Central Planning Committee for the local government election in the Akwa Ibom State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress,  APC. In this interview, Etok expresses doubt over the fairness of the council polls held on Saturday, but enthused that in 2019, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will be dusted the State by the APC.

 In that case, you don’t seem to have confidence in this election that is going to happen on Saturday?

  No I don’t have but we are going to make sure we are in the election to win because people desire a change and we must give them the opportunity to have the change they desire

Up to 2015 you were in PDP; what caused you to move?

I moved because of the level of impurnity and inconsistency, the level of non challant attitude we were having within the party. Therefore if you are somebody who is given to proper protocols decency, transparency , equity you might not want to remain there and I also realized that the party had lost focus of being more people-oriented. What is the essence of government? Government is to help alleviate  the suffering of the people;  it must change the situation of the people and improve the living standard and the welfare of the people and when you realize that the party in power is not propelled by this circumstance or situation or condition,  you`ll then want to move out of that kind of circle.

But sir, you participated in the election.

 Well I pulled out of the election

Let’s look at it in the states what is the assessment of the governance in the state?

Well like I’m saying that the assessment is that government is not providing for the people; is not taking the poor along.

Is it just beginning or has it always been like that?

Well this one is a different dimension. What has been there was a kind of impunity and wastefulness along with other things. But this one we expected the government to,  at the time of where we find ourselves, play a bigger role in making sure it solves the problems of members; try to see the degree of suffering and provide a kind of succour  to both individuals, businesses and organizations to make sure the economic circumstance, our environment within the state is conducive and is attractive and investment-friendly.  And therefore, it is in times like this that the government must try to increase employment opportunities, because the government is the major spender now because of this present economic situation

Don’t  they have that in the state?

No, I don’t think so

So what do you think should be done to energize the economic situation in the state?

 To energize the economic situation is for government to begin to spend more on people-oriented areas  or visibly showing interest  and developing the agricultural sector, encouraging and participating in industrial development of the state to take the youths away from the streets. These are some of the things government must do.

 But government has been saying this is the regime of industrial renaissance and they have been doing some of the things you’re saying. Are they all on paper?

Well, I want to be shown, because it is not tooth pick; not pencil. These are pocket investments that you will do. Have they done real investment on the toothpick? Do they even have a factory for the toothpick?

APC is at the federal, do you see Akwa Ibom being APC in the three last or two years?

Already, Akwa Ibom is APC and APC is going to take over the hill top in 2019. That’s in 2 years from now. Akwa Ibom is going to be massively APC including the control of the state apparatusor the government apparatus in Akwa Ibom State.

How are you going to do that, when the election you say is not going to favour you? The local government make up the state and you’re painting a very lamentable picture about the local government election in the state. How is the miracle going to work?

Well the miracle is with the people; the people are those who make up APC. And if this electoral umpire fails, the next electoral umpire is not going to be the AKISIEC. It’s going to be INEC; and where there is credibility and proper conduct of the election, APC will prevail.

Let me congratulate you on the very well organized kick off campaign of the local government election about two weeks ago in Uyo township stadium, precisely on the 18th. What was the secret?

The secret was encouraging the people reminding the people that they are the owners of the party; encouraging them to show steadfastness and true ownership of the party. And they came out en mass to be part of what the party is doing; true comradeship within the party. Everybody felt they are the owners of the party and they came out; and one thing is sure: every ward in this state was adequately represented at the party flag off, unlike what it is used to be before, unlike what other parties are doing, maybe just to hang around Uyo and bring people to the stadium. This one, every ward was represented adequately.

I spoke with one of the elders of their political party ironically the former gubernatorial candidate of ACN that metamorphosed into APC today. And he said that what you had in the stadium that day was just a smokescreen; that it will not translate into votes.  I’m talking of Senator John. Akpanudoedeghe

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Well, I don’t know because for one, why won’t it translate into votes. It was not a hired crowd; it was not a crowd borrowed around Uyo vicinity. That was a crowd made up of authentic party members from all the wards of the state. Are you telling me that they will come out like that – those who were not even hired, most of them came on their own, they came voluntarily to show support to the party which belongs to them. So are you telling me that they would go back change their mind and not to vote for their party. It is an indication of what quantum of votes the party will gather I don’t know whether the coming out of the people in the state indicates dissatisfaction with the status quo. I think they desire change. It is to demonstrate their dissatisfaction. They are tired of the status quo, and they now desire change.

Sen. Ita Enang  in the stadium that day said that the Akwa Ibom State government is not transparent, and is not showing transparency in the management of the state resources. I don’t know whether you agree with this?

I think so. I will agree with him

Why will you agree so?

Because by now the people in the state, the Akwa Ibom people should have known how much the state is indebted, what was the debt left behind by the former government, and more so, in fact even in the implementation of projects. They need to be more transparent. That’s why you’ll see them labour themselves trying to explain what they are doing.  If you are doing something, you don’t need to explain, people will see what you are doing. They will follow you. Is it not so? The people will follow you, they know what you are doing, they see what you are doing, you don’t need to explain and tell somebody. If you are doing road the people will see the road as they pass along. But if not, you will now take a lot of energy to explain what you are doing. They need to be more transparent.

Well, the three of you were in the senate till 2015; Sen. Ita Enang, Sen. Esuene and you, and all in PDP. And as we are talking now, I don’t know whether Sen. Esuene has gone back to PDP. The two of you left for APC. What does that tell us in Akwa Ibom State politics?

That shows the level of dissatisfaction that exists among the members of the party. If at our level we are dissatisfied to the extent of pulling out of the party, it shows the level of dissatisfaction that exists within the party. At least at our level that we can, maybe, call the governor directly, talk to people and so on, and we are that dissatisfied, then you know that those behind us, below us apparently they are more dissatisfied than us. So it shows that things are not going well in the party.

Whether in APC or PDP you are a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Does it mean that there is no synergy between you, the political leaders of the state, maybe you have held positions in the past four years or so on. Don’t you have that kind of synergy?

Well, it depends; if you are running an inclusive government you will have a synergy. But if you are running a government of a particular group of people divide your own and rule and deal, the synergy will not be there.

What is the situation; is it that there is no synergy?

I think so.

There is this zoning or no zoning controversy for APC in 2019. Some say the zoning will go to Eket Senatorial District in favour of governorship candidate; others say that APC has not been doing zoning that’s why in 2015 or 2014 they could have done the zoning right away. What are the elders of the party saying on the issue of zoning?

Well, maybe what I want to believe is that whether there is a principle of zoning or not, I know that stakeholders of APC sat down and looked at the state and said zone the governorship to Eket Senatorial District. See one thing is whether you have a standing zoning arrangement or you zone at every election, zoning is zoning; consideration, equity is equity because I know that sometimes you zone to unzone. But now I know that zoning is zoning, it has been agreed by the stakeholders even though I wasn’t in the meeting. But when the majority has said Yes I cannot say No. So what is happening is that the stakeholders sat down and said that the governorship should go to Eket Senatorial District and we support that.

Is that the best thing that will make APC win?

Well, it depends on what were the factors on the table that day when they took the decision to zone it to Eket Senatorial District. Since I wasn’t there, I cannot say what were the considerations and what will be.

Well, that seems to rig you out, assuming that you had guber ambition?

Well, if I had intention and the majority considered Eket Senatorial District, I will have to hold on to my ambition until when it gets to that time. I might also get favoured maybe, or start on time to make sure I beat the issue of zoning or I make sure there is no zoning that will be against me.

Do you see the APC federal government favouring Akwa Ibom State in terms of projects and appointments?

I think the party, APC has favoured Akwa Ibom. I think, yes because we’ve been given key appointments, ranging from the full minister of budget and national planning which is the key ministry the NDDC MD, export free zone ,oil and gas and other things we have; Senior Special Assistant to the president, National Assembly matters (Senate) and other things.  So looking at all these things and some board appointments, I feel that APC government has favoured Akwa Ibom.

 Sir why is APC seemingly to be fragmented? You have Akpanudoedeghe faction; you have your own faction. Why is it so?

Well,  we are working very assiduously to make sure everybody comes together. That notwithstanding, it’s political. That should not weaken the party. It will not weaken the party but some people may just be on their own maybe they’ve grown groups, because every group has interest. And when you have an interest you will try to also bring some people together who will be able to support you to have your interest forwarded. So there’s no problem.

 Is there any other thing you would have loved to say, maybe on the state, national or in the party?

Well at the state, I will say that the people of Akwa Ibom should stand firm and win the desired change in the interest of the state and our people.

Also at the national I want to say that we should work more assiduously to make sure we attract the party to the state so that we can get enough share of the party and the government for Akwa Ibom State because we deserve it. On the whole, I will also want to call on the people to join the train because, for instance now, national government is APC and then maybe very soon we must work together to make sure we change the state and make it APC in the league of states that are supporting APC.