CROSS RIVER 2012 PDP PRIMARY AS A MODEL

SENATOR LIYEL IMOKE

At the close of the titanic event on Monday January 23, 2012, following the outcome of the governorship primaries of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State commonly referred to as The People’s Paradise, the weird ambition of Ambassador Soni Abang to dislodge Senator Liyel Imoke from the Diamond Hill Government House, Calabar had turned into a nightmare. To make things worse for the poor politician and former Nigerian Ambassador to Mali, the small group of supporters and their sponsors, who wafted their odium against   Governor Imoke in open air abuses and insults, had evaporated- a sad reminder of the saying that failure is an orphan! He could not even surface at the venue of the event.
 
Yet, Abang’s big lesson in political combat, if he was not just the proverbial stubborn fly that allowed itself to be buried with the corpse in the grave - is that you don’t challenge a crusading denizen when you have no structure on ground. Indeed, it was the great English Philosopher and Politician, Edmund Burke, who said that the greatest platoon for a politician is his home base. If that wise dictum is anything to go by, Imoke’s platoon are the good people of Cross River State who now can heave a sigh of relief given his stunning performance in the last four years.
 
Suffice it to say that this is the genesis of his victory at the primaries. In particular, Imoke’s staggering achievements since he assume the mantle of leadership in the state in May 2007 spring from his ability to touch the lives of his people at the grassroots. And the ward congresses of the party which culminated in the primaries of January 23, were consummated at the grassroots level. Whereas Abang thought he could whip up the sentiments of youth who are not party members to climb to power, Imoke’s foot soldiers and supporters are registered party men and women. The rule of the game is abundantly clear to all and sundry that you are not qualified to vote in a ward congress of a political party until you are a registered member of that party.
 
On this score, sonny Abang’s belated dismissal of the primaries as “a charade” remains what it is: the ranting of a bad loser. This, however, brings us to the conduct of the primaries in question. Whatever bias you may have against the PDP, the fact that the last governorship primaries of the party in Cross River State is a model even for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and to the opposition parties, is beyond question. Come April 2012, Imoke will bear the flag of the PDP in the governorship election in Cross River State.
 
Announcing the result of the State Primaries of the party which was held at U.J.Esuene Stadium in Calabar, the Chairman of the PDP Electoral Panel, Senator Ahmed Sana, said of the 747 accredited votes: ‘Senator Liyel imoke pulled 737 votes, Ambassador Soni Abang got 3 votes while seven votes were voided’. Stressing that “nobody will point a finger and say mago – mago was done because it was witnessed by the numbers six and seven citizens of the nation”, Sana declared Imoke the winner of the primaries as well as the party’s flag bearer for the April 2012 governorship Election.
 
In his post – election speech,Imoke , ever his humble self ,said he did not see his victory as governor but as an aspirant turned a candidate who had been chosen by delegates through a peaceful and transparent process by the will of God. For him, as for every well-meaning citizen or resident of the State, his choice is an acknowledgement of service rendered to the people. A justification of the ineluctable transparency of the process is the absence of protest, not even from the opposition camp. From start to finish, the exercise was covered by AIT, Channel Television, NTA, CRBC and others for the viewing public to judge.
 
Besides achieving so much with so little, the Imoke administration has set a record as the most peaceful in recent times even amongst the 36 states of the federation. This comes not only because of his amazing display of tolerance but also because of his achievements. Not only has Imoke continued with the laudable projects and policies initiated by his predecessor,Mr Donald Duke, he has initiated and completed new ones to the chagrin of his detractors who thought that with the exit of Duke, the state would collapse in his hands. Again, his investment in healthcare delivery, education and youth empowerment is unprecedented in the annals of the State. In line with his philosophy of teaching the people as a veritable means of securing the future, Imoke has in the last four years, embarked on a comprehensive renovation and building of 60 secondary schools across the State in the first phase of his administration’s schools rehabilitation project.
 
What is more, he has taken governance to those who need it most by constructing roads where none existed, reconstructing and rehabilitating the ailing ones and providing light where there was darkness. In spite of this, agriculture still remains the corner stone of Imoke’s administration;  as he has exploited the vast arable land God has given his people to an enviable advantage. Not only has he built physical infrastructure, Imoke has also built infrastructure of love, unity and progress amongst his people. In fact the presence of his Immediate past predecessor, Duke at the primaries shows that Imoke has an awesome political machinery and a sturdy bulwark in the State.
 
Written by Desmond Ojiakor.