Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika: Who wears Reps crown?
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By Iniobong Ekponta,
The Nation Online (Nigerian Newspaper)
May 4, 2010
As the tempo of political activities rises in Akwa Ibom State, the Abak/Etim/Ika Federal Constituency is attracting attention as no fewer than four aspirants are jostling for the seat currently occupied by Obongemem Ekperikpe Ekpo. INIOBONG EKPONTA examines the chances of the gladiators
Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom State, by virtue of political convenience, is the Annang as the second leg of the state’s political tripod. The electorate are spread across the three local government areas of Abak, Etim Ekpo and Ika.
As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), rolled out the timetable, for the zoll poll, even with the electoral guidelines still being expected, contenders for the House of Representatives seat have started the test process of testing the murky waters of politics of the area.
Those aspiring to the seat currently occupied by Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo include a United States- based businessman, Mr. Emmanuel Ekon, a former local government chairman, Mr. Christopher Okorie; Governor Godswill Akpabio’s Special Assistant on Projects Matters Mr. Mfoniso Essien and the incumbent chair of Etim Ekpo Council, Hon. Ikpe Udoka.
Ekpo has already indicated his unwillingness to seek a second term in the House as he has his eyes on a senate seat in the 2011 election.
According to Ekon, a University of Uyo (UNIUYO) graduate, his entry into the race was borne out of the need to provide effective representation which he said the zone had always yearned for.
Ekon said he was uncomfortable with the widespread underdevelopment of the area, promising to redesign the development roadmap with people-oriented policies and programmes.
According to Ekon, it would be bye-bye to the old era, when politicians reward their constituents and supporters with motorcycles and grinding machines, without working out a government policy and programmes that would elevate their standard and the infrastructure in the locality.
Saying that he has done widespread consultations with political stakeholders to fly the flag of the zone in House, Ekon said his mission to the National Assembly was to bring federal presence to the long neglected area. He said his constituency project would focus on massive development projects in water, electricity, scholarship and vocal training for youths in the area.
Besides, Ekon pledged to complement the free education programme of Governor Akpabio by strengthening educational infrastructure, provision of learning aids and sponsorship of academic exercise in schools. According to him, "It is time to change the old order and imbibe the new ways of doing things for the development of the people. I am on a mission to reposition things and provide effective representation for the overall development of my constituency".
But his ambition may likely face stiff challenge from the camp of Hon. Christopher Okorie, who is believed to be well entrenched in the grassroots politics of Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika.
Okorie, a former councilor and Chairman of Etim Ekpo Local Government Area, has since leaving the council in 2003, made two unsuccessful bids in 2003 and 2007 for a ticket to the House of Representatives.
According to Mr. Unyime Ekanem, his former Chief of Staff, Okorie was robbed of the ticket by superior powers. According to him, Okorie lost to Hon. Ezekiel Anaka, who got the nod to the House in 2003 and Hon. Akanimo Edet, currently a member of the State House of Assembly from Ikpe in Etim Ekpo Council.
He however said that Okorie, a practicing lawyer is determined to weather the storm and get the ticket this time round.
Citing factors that would work in Okorie’s favour, Ekanem recalled that his boss during his time as the Etim Ekpo Chair, changed the face of the council through many of the developmental programmes he launched in the council.
Besides, he said his administration promoted scholarship and empowered the youths in vocational training as well as development of the rural communities. "These would recommend him for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for the Federal House in the upcoming poll.", He said.
Although Okorie may not have deep pocket to influence the outcome of the poll, Ekanem said his grassroots association and the positive impact he has made on the people were enough credentials to sway the voting pattern in Okorie’s favour.
"He has a large support base and he is likely going to get the sympathy votes from his supporters because already his structures are everywhere in the zone", he said.
Ekanem believes that if Okorie gets the nod, he would win in Abak and Etim Ekpo, because, according to him, the people in the area are already rooting for him.
It is not yet clear whether Hon. Ikpe Udoka, an ex-Police chief, who currently chairs the Etim Ekpo Council will gun for the ticket with Ekon and Okorie. But those close to him said he is perfecting plans to ride on the crest of his current position to the National Assembly.
His entry into the race would only hold water when he takes a bow out of the current post as the council chair few months before the end of his tenure. In the interim, tongues are wagging over his style of administering the Etim Ekpo Council in the last two years.
Critics say this may count against his aspiration. According to Chief Umoh Essien, a prominent traditional ruler in the local government area, the council has not witnessed any significant development in the last two. He recalled that allegations of misappropriation of the council funds has always kept Udoka at loggerhead with his councilors.
"The issue of cash allocation and disbursement has always been a problem and during the meetings of Finance and General Purpose Committee (FGPC), the councilors are always angry and challenging", he said. Besides, he said the constant bickering in the council involving the chairman and his councilors led to his impeachment last year, but that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state overturned it and asked Udoka to go and sin no more.
According to him, these may cast doubt on the minds of the electorate about his ability to provide effective representation.
Another figure still nursing the ambition to vie for the ticket is Hon. Mfoniso Essien, a Surveyor from Obong clan in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area. He currently serves Governor Godswill Akpabio as his Special Assistant in charge of Project Matters.
Essien is said to be making some subterraneous moves to sway the ticket to his side. Like Udoka, Essien’s ambition would only be taken seriously when he resigns from Akpabio’s cabinet to declare publicly, his intention to vie for the ticket.
Aside the various credentials that each of the aspirants are brandishing, the local politics of the are is also going to play a significant role in who gets the ticket. Interesstingly, all the aspirants are from neighbouring communities. While Ekon is from Iwukem village; Okorie is from Ibie Nnung Achat; Udoka hails from Etim Ekpo, while Essien is from Obong, all in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area.
Followers of the politics of the area say the position has been zoned to Etim Ekpo even though there are those who feel, that the contest is also open to other communities in the constituency. The fact that many potential aspirants from the area have shied away from the contest is seen as an evidence of ttheir agreement with the zoning formula, which has been the practice since 1999.
For now, each the gladiators has his power base that would give him edge, powerful groups and individuals in the area. The development is getting more interesting as battle day is drawing near.