The pulsating investiture of Their Excellencies, Mr. Udom Emmanuel and wife, Mrs. Martha Udom Emmanuel as patron and member respectively penultimate week signposted a strong message that would undoubtedly shape the events of 2019. The mammoth and enthusiastic crowd that gathered that fateful day of Saturday, February 18, 2017, had all the trappings of a people in one accord. The crowd which intermittently went wild with joy was a testament that they were volunteers exercising free will and not a rented crowd that has come to set for the polity a dubious political culture.
On that day, the Raffia City of Ikot Ekpene, the first experimental local government in West Africa underscored through its trappings that it was gearing to host eminent personalities. The prestigious Regina Pacis Auditorium, Ifuho, Ikot Ekpene and the environ were festooned with decorative items to enhance the asthetic value of the venue.
The length and breadth of Cardinal Ekanem Road was turned into an emergency car park with vehicles lining two sides of the road. Vehicular and human traffic combined to constrict the easy flow of traffic with cultural displays, drummers and dancers adding to the bourgeoning crowd that gave rise slow movements with measured steps. The entrance of the event venue and the access road to the hall swelled with boisterous crowd even as the people danced with feverish frenzy. As the governor’s vehicles glided slowly into the arena, the people exploded into shouts of joy with a peculiar slogan flowing freely from the lips of many, “Udom: Our Man”. The entire space rented with the buzz word with many uttering it with unbridled passion. As the vehicle rolled to where it could no longer access, Governor Udom disembarked to the excitement of the crowd and walked into the warm embrace of the leadership of Ati Annang Foundation including its Grand Patron and wife, His Excellency, Godswill Akpabio, the Senate Monitory Leader and Her Excellency, Mrs. Unoma Akpabio. As Governor Udom and Senator Akpabio locked in warm embrace, the jubilant crowd went wild with joy.
Overtime, there have been unsubstantiated reports of frosty relationship between the incumbent governor and his immediate past predecessor. The speculation which was rife had assumed a character on its own. The people had therefore watched with apprehension and anxiety when providence brought the two into the same space. The anxious crowd watched to see signs of disaffection between the two. When no such sign was noticeable, those genuinely concerned with their well being could not hide their joy as they watched the warmth, the expansive smiles and the geniality the embrace radiated. As Governor Udom and wife, Mrs. Martha Emmanuel were being led into the hall, they could not believe that such a mammoth crowd could be mobilized to accord them such a rousing reception. As the governor himself noted, “this is the biggest reception I have had since I became governor”. He said when he was honoured by Mboho Mkparawa Ibbio, he had thought that the crowd was overwhelming but adjudged the Ati Annang reception and investiture to be unprecedented.
The wife, Mrs. Martha Emmanuel in her remarks expressed similar sentiments. She said that she was exceedingly happy with the honour done her and her husband by his people. The First lady said that the robust reception and honour bore a strong statement that she has roots and that her people support the husband and the administration. She assured the people that the support would certainly not be in vain and promised that the nooks and crannies of Annang would be touched by the Udom administration. Mrs Emmanuel concluded that if the governor forgets Annang, it means he has forgotten her but assured that that is not possible.
Analysts agree that the sentiment expressed by the wife of the governor was an extension of their private talks as the governor’s remark echoed similar sentiment. In his remark, Governor Emmanuel said that with the level of trust and confidence reposed in his administration, he is poised to do more for the Annangs. He appealed to those litigating against government on the compensation issue of Ikot Ekpene- Uyo road to withdraw such processes saying “come, let us reason together”. He thanked Ati Annang for the support it is giving government in many areas. Governor Emmanuel also promised to broaden the empowerment programme to accommodate more women; a sentiment obviously arising from the number of women that thronged the event.
The International President of Ati Annang Foundation, Rt. Honourable Udo Kyrian, a former vocal Labour Leader and currently House Leader in his welcome address thanked the governor and the wife for consenting to be at the event and accepting the membership of the socio-cultural organization. He said that the spirit embedded in the Annang person drives him in the direction of excellence, progress and defines his sense of justice, equity, harmonious existence and good conscience.
The International President observed that Governor Udom has come to symbolise and exemplify the virtues of excellence, love, justice and good conscience. He also added that the wife has also shown that she is from a good stock in her consistent demonstration of care, compassion and the ideals of a virtuous woman. The former labour leader informed the Governor that Senator Akpabio is dearly in love with him and that Annang people therefore are solidly behind him but noted that they expect to reap the benefit of that loyalty.
The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Onofiok Luke in his goodwill message warned career gossipers and name droppers who want to institute and stoke up crises between Governor Emmanuel and Senator Akpabio to desist noting that they will always fail as the two are in love. He said that God had ordained them as leaders and therefore both should be left alone to focus on the responsibility of leadership. The comment was received with thunderous applause as it publicly highlighted an anomie that is fast gaining currency amongst the people.
The most poignant and defining speech came from the Senate Minority leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio. It was so because the speech built the political direction for 2019. The former governor who started his speech with one of his favourite songs warned his traducers to stop blackmailing him in the pursuit of their selfish interest referring to those who go to Governor Udom to lie against him. He identified the various lies to include “Akpabio is having meetings”; “He wants to impeach the governor”; “Akpabio would not support Udom for second term” as some of those egregious falsehood. He admitted that he is not God and that only God makes kings. He thanked Rt. Honourable Onofiok Luke for his outspokenness in addressing this growing anomaly.
The Senate Minority Leader stated that the reception/investiture should assure Governor Udom that he has no enemy in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District. He enjoined him not to listen to gossips as only the will of God will be done in his life.
The former governor submitted that he stands as the father of the Udom administration; the John the Baptist of the administration noting that God used him to light the path to bring greater glory to Akwa Ibom State. He implored those who hate him, his wife and children to hate them no more stating that in 2015, it was the will of God for Udom Emmanuel to be governor and that he was merely an agent. Senator Akpabio further observed that 22 of the aspirants in that political conundrum have gone to reconcile with the governor but have refused to reconcile with him reiterating that he was merely doing the will of God, not his own. He said that he is happy that he is alive and the wife is alive to join to celebrate and reassure the governor that they are with him.
In what sounded philosophical, the former governor maintained that if a foundation is forgotten, the house may crumble noting that the foundation of the administration was being consolidated through the investiture. He said that as a grand patron of Ati Annang Foundation, he wishes to assure the governor that the Annang people who gave him over 500,000 votes in 2015 would repeat the same feat in 2019 pointing out that Annang people are straight forward people. He advised the governor to be circumspect with those who boast that they are with him questioning whether they would still be with him when contracts start to issue from NDDC. The Senator representing Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District concluded that for him and his household, they will look up to God and will call on the Lord to be with Governor Emmanuel and that they will stand with him.
The event of the investiture cannot be said to have been bereft of implicatures. For the benefit of clarity, implicature is a technical term in the pragmatics sub-field of linguistics which refers to what an action suggests or implies but which is not explicitly expressed. It is an action implying a meaning beyond the literal sense.
The event therefore was beyond the razzmatazz of inducting the governor as a new member and patron. Underlying that action was the endorsement of the governor for second term. There is the implied fact that the entirety of Annang is ready to stand with him come 2019.
The above assumption is difficult to fault if one is cognizant of the fact that all the political gladiators in Annang land were at that event voluntarily. The elders, youths, women, groups and even members of traditional institutions were not left out. Beyond all of these is also the fact that the Generalissimo of Akwa Ibom politics, Senator Akpabio has taken a stand in favour of Udom 2019 thus making the scaling of the hurdles to that destination an easier task.
Written by Joe Iniodu.
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