The speculation in Akwa Ibom State is that the reason Obong Victor Attah declared his support for former Senator Akpan Udoedehe is because Victor Attah is scheming for Udoedehe to pick his son in-law, Udoma Ekarika, as his running mate, or for Deputy Governor. Those in Udoedehe’s camp claim that the speculation is being pushed by Akpabio’s people as an attempt to deflect the minds of the masses, which now seems to overwhelmingly be in support of Akpan Udoedehe as the next governor of Akwa Ibom State. Due to my frequent contacts with Akpan Udoedehe, many concerned Akwa Ibom people have contacted me to find out if the speculation is true. I forwarded their enquiries to Akpan Udoedehe, and the following is how he addressed the issue.
Akpan Udoedehe in his own words;
“Listen to me, Ette Essien; the people in my campaign team know very well that I am in favor of picking someone from Oron as a Deputy Governor. What many people don’t know is that when I visited the Palace of Ata Oro, I conferred with him and many other Oron leaders. I told them that I am running for the governorship of Akwa Ibom State and I want my running mate to come from Oron. I specifically made it clear to them that they should select and recommend someone from Oron, whom they trust as the most qualified person for the job. I told them that if they do that then I will not have to cross-over their heads and hand-pick someone who may not be the candidate of their choice. I gave them a dateline. They have not yet responded to my request.”
“However, if Larry Esin enters the gubernatorial race, it will be a signal to me from the Oron people that they would rather front their own candidate than pick someone to run with me. If that happens, myself and my campaign team will have no choice but to move on and look at other areas of the State for a running mate, which, in essence, means turning to plan “B.” What I favor is to look for a Deputy Governor from “Abak 5” zone. As it is now, I have no idea who will be my running mate. All I can hypothetically tell you is that eventually, my running mate will either come from Oron or “Abak 5” zones.” Let me add here that the strategy I just mentioned does not in any way mean that I am for zoning. My strategy is based on the fact that in a fairly conducted election, which President Jonathan assures Nigerians, I have to look for areas that when I combine with where my greatest supporters reside, I will have more votes to count on. For instance, as it is now, the Ibibio proper, or the Central Ibibio, contains many of my ardent supporters. If I can have Oron or Abak zone in addition to that, then I will be successful. That is why it is important to pick a running mate from an area where the voting bloc will be significant.
“I will not be surprised if those who read my intention to pick someone from Abak zone prematurely jump to the conclusion that I will pick Udoma Ekarika. Let me say this; there is no doubt that because of his support for our cause, Udoma Ekarika may be asked to have a major role in our administration, but that role will not include being a Deputy Governor. Udoma Ekarika himself has, on many occasions, stated publicly that he is not interested in becoming a Deputy Governor. So, I don’t know why members of Akpabio’s administration are going around deceiving people that Obong Attah is trying to impose his son in-law on the people. It is not true. It‘s simply not true.”
“Let me also take this opportunity to tell you that when Obong Attah accepted my request for his support, he did so unconditionally. If anything, I am the one who set conditions for his support. One of the conditions I made known to Obong Attah was that he must not try to impose anyone on me for appointment to any position, political or otherwise. See, what many people do not know is that on April 17 (2010), when Obong Victor Attah came to Uyo to lift up my hand in a show of support, he left his wife in a hospital bed in Lagos. For a man to do that is a demonstration of a commitment that I don’t and will never take lightly. Therefore, it is inhumane to suggest that a man who is playing his own civic role for the society which he adores so much does so out of selfishness. Victor Attah has never mentioned to me, or suggests to me, directly or indirectly, that I should pick his son in-law or anyone else as a running mate. That decision will be made by me and members of my campaign team. For instance, if the Oron people happen to recommend more than one name, then I and my team have to sit down, deliberate on the merits and qualifications of the recommended, before we settle on picking whoever is unanimously accepted.”
“Let me tell you about another pessimistic view, which is held by some members of Akwa Ibom State community. Some people are going around saying that I will never win the election because Akpabio has more money that I do. To those people I say let them go and read Jeremiah, chapter 9, verse 23 to 24. What the pessimists are saying is that just because they are poor, the masses have no idea of what they want. Sometimes I wonder about what it would take to convince the pessimists that the people of Akwa Ibom State are ready for a change. When I opened my campaign office in Uyo, activities in Uyo metropolitan area came to a stand-still for more than three hours. When I held a rally with Obong Attah on April 17 (2010), the crowd that turned up was overwhelming. Are these two instances not enough to convince the skeptics that the people are ready for a change?”
“Let those who worry about money keep worrying. The truth is that Akwa Ibom is moving forward and the sufferings are ready to take matters into their own hands and effect changes. The people are not as ignorant as governor Akpabio thinks them to be. Money or no money, Akpabio will never win a second term. I have never lost any election. I will be the next governor of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. Mark my words. That is all I can tell you now.
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