It was on a cold December morning like this in 2012 that I called a friend and fellow Cross Riverian from my apartment in Chicago Illinois for the morning pleasantries and to ask how they are faring at home, only to be told that our dear Governor has been out of the state for weeks and his whereabouts unknown. I later got to know in the evening from my enquiries that he was here with us in USA.
Then on YouTube early January 2013 , I watched Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba defend our Governor saying he was not sick but on vacation and staying in his personal house when we all know the address of the hospital where he was admitted. It is no sin to be sick so I leave out thus particular matter for another day.
The issue at stake now is that most leaders love to leave their kingdom better than they met them. Is this apt with Governor Imoke? Wait until you read through this piece so you can provide an answer for that question.
After Liyel Imoke became our Governor in 2007, the first calamity was the handover of Bakassi which according to records was the fastest judgement implemented from the gavel of the Court in Hague. What was he doing? He was sleeping. He was also asleep when our sister state Akwa Ibom took our 76 oil wells thereby making us the only non-oil producing state in South-South. We thought our pains were over but no it wasn’t. He was asleep when Akwa Ibom took over tourism from us, he is yet awake as Akwa Ibom has also taken sports, especially soccer from us as the Super Eagles and other national matches will no more be played at U J Esuene Stadium but the new Ibom Stadium. Brothers my heart bleeds.
Now Cross River State is depleted, no natural resources, no tourism, no commerce and trade. The only thing we have left was Human Resources. Suddenly Governor Imoke is awake, and what did he do? He decided to do away with our Human Resources. He first cajoled Ntufam Fidel Ugbo then Executive Secretary National Planning Commission to resign and come home to contest for the Governorship of Cross River State. This is enough for anybody to believe that the Fidel Ugbo is Governor in waiting.
He also encouraged Goddy Jeddy Agba General Manager (Crude) Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC to resign and come and contest. By this he has succeeded in plucking two illustrious Sons of Cross River just before they are ripe. He eventually handed the Governorship ticket to Senator Ben Ayade. I have no issues with this but him destroying Jeddy Agba and Fidel Ugbo. If he knew all along that he doesn’t need them, why pluck them out of the el dorado in Federal Civil Service.
Now to Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and serving Senate Leader should also go. Imoke made sure that Senator Ndoma-Egba didn’t secure the return ticket of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. From what I heard, he employed all known and unknown measures to achieve this. He organized charade called primaries where delegate list were secret document.
Even the All Progressives Congress, APC in their just concluded presidential primaries made known to all contestants who the delegates are. He supplanted Senator Ndoma-Egba, the pride of Cross River. A man who was the reason I subscribed for NTA Parliament so I can watch and listen to his intellectual display whenever he is speaking on the floor of the red chamber. His brilliance is never in doubt while his views on issues is highly regarded.
He replaced him with a neophyte John Enoh who is his YES MAN. I am still bewildered on the position of PDP as a party in all these. Is this not the same John Enoh who disobeyed PDP and championed the election of Aminu Tambuwal as Speaker House of Representatives? And later to be rewarded with the most juicy committee in House of Reps (Appropriation Committee). I never knew PDP rewards disloyalty. I do not want to believe what I heard, that our Governor received gratification from some quarters to help scuttle the return of Senator Ndoma-Egba as that will serve their purpose.
Notable amongst them was a certain Senator from Akwa Ibom state who wants to be Senate Leader, but unfortunately he also failed to secure a return ticket from PDP. Another was the conspiracy of producing an Ijaw Senate Leader. Little wonder a certain Niger Delta Governor dropped his Senatorial ambition at the last minute. Bauchi State returned Senator Ningi, Enugu returned Ekweremadu and Benue returned Mark all unopposed. Do these States understand the import of Human Resources more than our own Cross River State? Or are their Governors more patriotic than ours?
Also take the case of Senator Bassey Otu, a superb grass rooter and distinguished lawmaker. Primaries were conducted in Cross River South and Senator Otu from all indications was in the lead but Governor Imoke will take none of it. The primaries were delayed, derailed and later produced Gershom Bassey as winner.
Why is Imoke plucking out our ranking Senators? Did he hate us this much? Is this not the same Imoke that I watched on a video on Crossriverwatch.com where he was enunciating the benefits of having Senate Leader as that puts us above all other states in South-South. What happened to him? What changed? Who is next to be plucked?
Comments