Zoning divides Eket, Uyo districts

By KAZEEM IBRAHYM 

Political offices in many states are rotated along zonal and ethnic lines. After 12 years of the Fourth Republic, the people of Eket and Oron are making a strong case for power rotation to the district. Uyo politicians have a different view. KAZEEM IBRAHYM presents the views of a cross section of politicians.
ABOUT six months after the 2011 general elections that returned Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State for second term, attention has shifted to the next governorship election. Manoeuvring, permutation and alignment are on. Where the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship ticket would be contested by two contending senatorial districts, (Uyo and Eket the Ikot-Ekpene district is looking forward to playing the kingmaker.
The governor faces a new legal challenge following the Supreme Court verdict which upturned the decision of the Court of Appeal in Calabar. The court had earlier dismissed on technical grounds the petitions filed by the Action Congress Nigeria, (ACN) governorship candidate and running mate, Senator James Udoedehe and Chief Ime Umanah. 
The five-member panel of justices, headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Musdapher, had held that the petitions should not have been dismissed on mere technical ground pointing out that the pre-hearing notice can be done orally. He, however, ordered that the petitions should be heard on its merit. 
But PDP’s focus is the zoning of the governorship. While the ACN is it itching to reclaim its alleged stolen mandate from the PDP-led government in the state, PDP is preoccupied with succession. They want the best man who has the experience and capacity to consolidate on the phenomenal and breathtaking achievements recorded by the Akpabio’s Administration. 
While the people of Eket Senatorial district are saying it is their turn to produce the next governor in 2015, some forces in Uyo especially, the Uyo Senatorial District Elders Council are insisting that the position has never been zoned to any senatorial district. Uyo elders also traced the history of the state right from the time of the Late Governor Akpan Isemin, saying the former governor contested against candidates from all the three senatorial districts. They noted that it was only after his emergence as governor that other positions were zoned to the three senatorial districts. 
Politicians from Eket Senatorial district, particularly, the International Coordinator of Akwa Ibom Peoples’ Forum (AKPF), Bishop Sam Akpan, who many believe is a strong contender for the 2015 governorship seat, disagree with that claim. 
Akpan, who is also the deputy state chairman of the PDP, told The Nation, that PDP is committed to zoning as a principle. He said no single individual can disrupt the arrangement. He said that the party would zone the 2015 governorship to the right senatorial district at the appropriate time.
He noted that zoning is enshrined in the PDP constitution and such would be adhered to in appointing councillors, local government chairmen and of course the governor in 2015. Akpan’s claim, however, contradict the views of the Uyo Senatorial District Elders Council led by Otuekong Sunny Udoh, and 32 others, who many believed are secretly working to deliver Umana Umana, the Secretary to State Government, as the governor in 2015. A source in the SSG’s camp, who pleaded anonymity, said PDP has never relied on zoning in picking its candidate.
This position allies with the view of the SSG supporters and Uyo elders. The elders, in a statement said: “Former Governor Attah in 1999 and 2003, contested against candidates from the three senatorial districts. That there was no zoning for the governorship position was underscored by the fact that even within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), aspirants from the three senatorial districts were screened and cleared to contest the primaries for the position of Governor in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. 
“The current Governor, His Excellency, Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio won both primaries in 2006 and 2011 on his merit – after having contested against aspirants from the three senatorial districts who were duly cleared by the PDP. Governor Akpabio won the two primaries deservedly and not because the position was zoned to Ikot Ekpene senatorial district. After the emergence of Chief Godswill Akpabio as Governor, the other positions – Deputy Governor, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Party Chairman etc. were zoned (in line with the practice in 1993, 1999 and 2003) to the three senatorial districts. 
“Against the above background, Council takes serious exception to the statements made by some anti democratic elements that the Governorship position in Akwa Ibom State in 2015 will be exclusively zoned to a particular senatorial district.” 
But the state PDP deputy chairman dismissed the elders claim of the Uyo Senatorial District Elders Council with the wave of hands, saying the qualities of people that signed the contentious statement is of no importance, adding that such people carry no weight in the politics of the state. 
His words: “When you look at the quality of the people that signed the statement, you have not seen the speaker of the State House of Assembly who is a personality from Uyo Senatorial District, you have not seen the state Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party who is also from that district and a Senator representing the district and even a former Governor Idongesit Nkanga’s signature was not on the document. 
“As far as I am concerned, nobody is speaking. Even the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan followed a process of zoning. PDP is committed to zoning and zoning is the principle and process of the PDP. From councillors, chairmen and of course governor will be zoned in Akwa Ibom State. If other parties are not adopting zoning, zoning is an enshrined principle in PDP constitution.” 
Even the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) governorship aspirant in the last general elections, Larry Esin, an Oron man, shared the views as expressed by the Uyo elders. Esin, in a telephone interview with The Nation, says the idea of zoning usually deprives the people of quality leaders. 
Esin said: “Personally I have never believed in zoning as a means of identifying quality leadership. Everybody should come out to contest. The people of Akwa Ibom State should decided who they want. Zoning always deprive any country of a good leaders but if there has been an unwritten or gentleman agreement on the system of rotation of governorship position in Akwa Ibom State, I think the system should be allowed to stay in the interest of equity and justice. 
“Zoning is more of a PDP arrangement. The fact is zoning cannot produce an Oron governor. What the people of Oron should do is to package a governorship candidate that would be accepted by all. They should also try and sell the candidate across the state, to the Annangs and the Ibibios rather than waiting for zoning of the governorship seat. 
“I left PDP for fundamental ideological reasons because I believe certain things should change but those things are still there. I do not believe PDP is the only party that can produce governor in Akwa Ibom State.” 
Also, a member representing Okobo State Constituency in the House of Assembly, Efefiong Antigha, said Oron people are warming up for the 2015 governorship. 
Antigha, who is also the Chairman House Committee on Information, said: “As a person, I will really wish Oron to come up but at the same time politicking has its own gimmicks. Atimes it goes with the winds, the sound of the winds will come and you know exactly where it is going to and then you know what to know. All I know is that Oron people are warming up and before 2015 you will see them on the field.” 
The Akwa Ibom Democratic Project (AKDP) in a briefing penultimate Friday reasoned that from the first democratic experiment of 1991 after the creation of Akwa Ibom State, no section had been barred from contesting the position governorship. 
The spokesman of the group, Alloysius Edet, said it would be politically and historically incorrect to suggest that other senatorial districts should not present a candidate for the 2015 governorship elections. 
His words: “For the 2015 election, no section or group of people should pontificate unreasonably, because there is an established tradition of electoral contest in Akwa Ibom State. If we, as a people, could not defer to a sitting governor the right to contest the election without a challenge, then it is extremely inappropriate for any group to arrogate the right to probate and reprobate. 
“Like the Elders of Uyo senatorial district rightly pointed out, there is no zoning of governorship position in Akwa Ibom State, and we support this position strongly. We appeal to our Royal Fathers, political elders, youths, women, distinguished senators, honourables and quasi politicians to please stop inciting one group against the other, stop creating tension in the land and stop over heating the polity.” 
Many observers believe that urgent steps are required by the PDP to address its zoning arrangement to prevent internal crisis that could to the breakdown of law and order in the state.
Source: The Nation