History and Akwa Ibom 2015

By Haniel Ukpaukure
Lagos-based public commentator

History is one fact of life a lot of people would love to rework because it is often so inconvenient, even threatening in its raw form to those who would rather duck the unpleasant parts of their past. So the better to cauterise it, cure it of its inconvenient rough edges, and thus remake it to suit individual interests. Well, it is not just possible to reinvent history for the simple reason that as the communal repository of the past, history is accessible to all and sundry without the intermediation of a gatekeeper. No one can shut out the people from their story; they know it, even intimately, and would eagerly point out—and even readily resist—any attempt to distort it.

UYO SENATORIAL DISTRICT ELDERS COUNCIL
That is precisely the point Uyo Senatorial District Elders Council made in an advertorial in Thisday of November 23 2011—that it is specious to argue, as some party members have done, that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nomination for the governorship race 2015 in Akwa Ibom State should be reserved for one or the other of the three senatorial districts in the state, since 2015 is the turn of a particular senatorial district. The unstated side of the argument of turn-taking is that in the past other senatorial districts had had to wait for the district that produced the victorious candidate. In their public position, the elders’ council appealed to history, the impartial arbiter in a dispute of this nature, seeking to stand the argument of exclusive preserve on its head. The elders held that right through the history of Akwa Ibom, since its creation in September 1987, electoral contest for the office of governor has always been an open race in which everyone who was willing and able from all the three senatorial districts of Eket, Uyo and Ikot Ekpene freely participated. No one senatorial district was ever barred, nor was anyone ever preferred in all the races in 1991, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011, the elders said.
This intervention seeks to interrogate the electoral history of the state in order to see whether the facts support the position of Uyo Senatorial District Elders Council, or that of the champions of ticket reservation or zoning for the party’s mandate in the gubernatorial race.
AKWA IBOM GUBER RACE 1991
The first real contest for political party primaries in Akwa Ibom took place during the era of military rule, following pressure for the restoration of democracy. Under the General Ibrahim Babangida military administration, two parties were set up, namely, the National Republican Convention (NRC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The late Obong Akpan Isemin, who hailed from Uyo Senatorial District, was a member of the NRC and sought the endorsement of his party to run for governor. Sir Sunday U. Akpan, a political leader from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, who was also a member of the NRC, equally sought the mandate of his party to run for governor. Both of them were cleared by the party leadership to contest their party primary election. Obong Isemin won the NRC primary election and eventually became governor of the state. Other party members who contested for nomination with Isemin and Akpan were Mfon Amana from Eket Senatorial District and E.W. Ekpontak of Uyo Senatorial District.
THE GUBERNATORIAL RACE 1999
The election which Chief Isemin won was part of a nation-wide effort to return the nation to civil rule. But that effort was not taken to its logical conclusion because the military took power again in December 1993. For the next seven years Nigeria was ruled by a military junta. However, democratic rule was restored in 1999 after political parties had been formed and elections conducted in 1998 and 1999. One of the new political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) became dominant in Akwa Ibom, and many sought political power, including the mandate to be governor, on the platform of the party. In the gubernatorial race for the PDP ticket in 1998, there were contestants from at least three senatorial districts. They included Obong (Arc) Victor Attah from Uyo Senatorial District, Mr Benjamin Okoko from Eket Senatorial District, Dr Ime Okopido of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, the late Etukudo Ekpro of Uyo Senatorial District, Dr Ekeng Anamdu and Dr David Ekanem, both of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District. Obong Attah won the party primary election and the governorship election to become the second democratically elected governor of Akwa Ibom State.
AKWA IBOM GUBERNATORIAL RACE 2003
Another election year in Akwa Ibom was 2003. This time the situation was remarkably different from 1991 and 1999. In 2003 there was an incumbent governor seeking re-election. Governor Obong Attah had ruled for four years and was seeking a fresh mandate of his party, the PDP, to contest the general election. Due credit must go to the PDP leadership at the time who, in spite of the power of incumbency, deferred to the democratic tradition of the people and opened up the party primary to whoever was willing and able.
Party members who went into the 2003 PDP primary election included incumbent governor, Obong Victor Attah from Uyo Senatorial District; Mr Benjamin Okoko from Eket Senatorial District, who later withdrew from the race; and Samuel Udonsak of Eket Senatorial District. Obong Attah won both the party primary and the subsequent general election, and went on to rule the state for eight years.
THE GUBERNATORIAL RACE 2007
The contest for the office of Governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2007 was similar in its key element to the contests in 1991 and 1999. There was no incumbent who was running for re-election, Obong Attah having come to the end of his maximum eight years. There was therefore expectedly a large field of ambitious party members at the beginning who aspired to the mandate of the party to run for governor. In the end three party members went to the primary. They were Obong Nsima Ekere, the current deputy governor of the state, who is from Eket Senatorial District; Mr Larry Esin, who is also from Eket Senatorial District; and Chief Godswill Akpabio, now the incumbent governor, who is from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District. Chief Godswill Akpabio won the party primary and went on to win the governorship election.
THE GUBERNATORIAL RACE 2011
The race for office of governor in Akwa Ibom in 2011 was similar to that of 2003: an incumbent was seeking re-election. And consistent with tradition, the race for the party’s ticket to contest the gubernatorial election was thrown open. Many party members joined the race but three candidates were eventually cleared for the contest. The contestants were the incumbent, Governor Godswill Akpabio from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District; Mr Frank Okon from Eket Senatorial District and Mr Imo Udo from Uyo Senatorial District. Governor Akpabio won the party primary and was re-elected in the general election that followed to lead Akwa Ibom till 2015.
THE 2015 RACE
The foregoing review of the electoral history of Akwa Ibom State clearly shows that the Uyo Senatorial District Elders Council are right when they say that the PDP ticket for the governorship race in Akwa Ibom had never been zoned or reserved for any particular senatorial district at any time since the state was created 24 years ago. They are equally right in saying that the contest for the mandate of the party for the gubernatorial race in 2015 should be handled the way it was handled in 1991, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. In the years cited, the party had allowed all parts of the state to put forward their best candidates. The outcome of opening up the political space was that the PDP had the good fortune of selecting the best and brightest from a large pool of competent members of the party. We would argue that what Akwa Ibom has enjoyed in phenomenal progress since the restoration of democracy resulted basically from how the ruling party in the state selects candidates for election. We would also like to point out that even in the opposition camps in the state; contests for nomination to run for governor have also been open to all senatorial districts of the state.
The proponents of ticket reservation for the governorship primary do not have the support of history. Their argument is a hard sell. They have offered no reason to persuade anyone on why the party needs to change its winning formula in the race for 2015.
If we may extrapolate from George Santayana, the late American philosopher of Spanish descent, those who distort history are bound to fail because the people know what is true of their past.
AKS Moves To Sharpen skills of Information Managers
In a bid to make information officers and Government Information Managers more responsive to the challenges of the 21st Century Information Management, the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Information and Communications, on last week organized a one-day capacity-building seminar for them at the Le Meridian Ibom Hotels and Golf Resort.
The one-day seminar under the theme “Managing Government Information Machinery: 21st Century strategies for optimal productivity, was well attended by government information managers and officers comprised of eminent scholars and professionals drawn from the academia, and the media community.
Welcoming the participants to the seminar, the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Aniekan Umanah said the seminar was organized because of the imperative need to train the newly employed information offices, as well as refresh the old ones, as well as government information managers on the need to adopt 21st century strategies to face the challenges of the 21st century information management.
Mr Aniekan Umanah who acknowledged that information, in this age moves with the speed of light, charged the participants to be fully prepared for the emerging global reality, expressed hope that with the quality of resource persons selected, the overall objective of the seminar would be achieved.
The Information and Communication boss also reminded information managers of their critical role in informing the people about government policies especially in the importance of policies for their development and wellbeing.
The Chief of staff to the Governor, Mr Godwin Afangide who declared the seminar open described the theme of the seminar as apt given the need for managers of Government strategic information system to be adequately trained and updated to meet the challenges and dynamics of the 21st Century Government information.
Mr Afangide who said that it has always been the responsibility of government to meet the ever increasing needs of the people on a daily basis, stressed the need for the public to understand government.
The Head of Service, Mrs Cecilia Udoessien charged Information Managers to be objective and balance in their reporting / referring to the freedom of information law, she advised information officers to take advantage of the law but exhibit utmost patriotic zeal in order to protect the soverieginty and integrity of the state and nation.
Mrs Udoessien pledged government commitment towards training and retaining of government information managers and other offices in the services.
Seven papers ere presented at the seminar. They include; Strategies for improper information and communication management; Managing Government Image: Perspective and Strategies; Utilizing ICT Strategy to ensure optimal productivity of information managers; Public Speaking / Conference Skills / Managing Ceremonies; Government Community Relations Strategies; 21st Century Information Management: Perspective in Press.