Who Will Vote For Nsima Ekere?


By UbongAbasi Ise

“Everything on the earth has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it, and every person a mission” – Indian Proverbs

Vote buying and general monetization of the electoral processes could make the outcome of elections quite unpredictable.  Since money for vote has become the rave of the contemporary elections in our clime, we now have candidates being elected not on the basis of their political parties’ ideologies or their individual antecedent track-records. Besides the blind cravings for cash, fanatic political party following has also contributed in no small measures in inebriating the electorates away from choices that could have been apt in line with the shifting socio-political trend, collective societal needs and aspirations. However, as the incumbent Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel is seeking reelection on the platform of the People Democratic Party, PDP, against Obong Nsima Ekere of the All Progressives Congress, APC, there are bound to be clashes of reactionary and progressive forces. Yes, the beneficiaries of the incumbent state government and the reactionaries will be all out to vote for the continuation and sustenance of the status quo, but there are those that will vote for paradigm shift, those whose beliefs are aggregated in one goal of systemic change that will better their lots, and reset the method of governance in the state. To be more specific, the question is: who are those that will be voting for Obong Nsima Ekere on March 9 with the hope to establish a progressive government in the state?

The first are the Civil servants. Governor Udom Emmnuel seems to be a nemesis of civil servants in Akwa Ibom State. Under the incumbent governor, civil servants have many tales to tell in matters of promotion, promotion arrears, loan/grants, illegal deductions etc. They may be teaming up to change the narrative by voting Nsima Ekere as their governor, who promises to pay them all arrears of entitlements, including minimum wage. Also, retired Civil Servants are dying in good number due to lack of money to pay bills. Governor Udom Emmanuel is apparently not sincere in paying gratuity to retired civil servants. Pensioners have gotten enough reasons to repay him with the same coin by voting him out this Saturday. They feel Obong Nsima Ekere is more humane with eagerness to take care of the elderly.


Second set of voters are the professionals. They are likely to back Obong Nsima Ekere because virtually all professions activities in Akwa Ibom State today have slumped on the arrival of Governor Udom Emmanuel in 2015. Most professional firms have closed shops because there is no patronage from the state government. In the days of Obong Attah and Godswill Akpabio, these firms boomed with consultancy. Now Ephraim Inyang-eyen, Commissioner for Works, appears to be the sole-consultant for all government construction works. All professionals will go for Obong Nsima Ekere because he understands the workings of local economy.

The third are the Akwa Ibom students. They are not faring any better under Mr. Emmanuel’s administration: no payment of bursary or scholarship for almost four years now. Therefore to them, Obong Nsima Ekere automatically becomes the cusp that will end the past and open a fresh era in students’ welfare and enablement. Ekere, as an outstanding entrepreneur, knows very well that investment in human capital is the bed-rock for development, hence his desire to pay all Akwa Ibom students in the tertiary institutions N25,000 yearly to supplement cost of their education.

Another set of electorates that would go for Ekere are business freaks. Ekere said his government will be setting aside N20 billion for transformational entrepreneurs (TEs) to help the self-employed in Akwa Ibom State to improve their business and restrengthen the state’s economy. Udom Emmanuel lacks that empathic consideration for the students and the youths except to hire and mobilize them recently as thugs on land (vote defenders) and attackers on internet (social media influencers). Most sound-minded youths know this and describe his action as exploitative.

Mr. Udom Emmanuel, being the governor of Akwa Ibom State, is acting like a bank agent who seeks to earn through commission with feeble capacity to bring about wealth creation and job opportunities. The business community in Akwa Ibom State will be better off with Obong Nsima Ekere owing to viable initiative, his capacity for wealth creation and resourcefulness in human development. Of course Mr. Ekere is a well-known employer of labour, welfarist and an entrepreneur of note.  A vote against Udom Emmanuel is a resistance against a commission agent of Zenith Bank fame. The business-minded will see the vote against the incumbent governor as fight to reclaim the state and its finances from external predators.

Beneficiaries and lovers of APC-led  federal government’s  Social Investment Programme will go out on Saturday to vote out Mr. Udom Emmanuel because he is one reason federal government social investment programmes like N-Power, School Feeding Programme, and Trader Moni, Market Moni are not working optimally in Akwa Ibom State. People in the state will like to benefit from the social investment programmes of the federal government. With Udom Emmanuel continued stay in power beyond this year, it means blocking of the majority of Akwa Ibomites from benefiting from the federal government programme immensely. The state needs to benefit fully from the social protection packages, hence the choice of Obong Nsima Ekere.

Lovers of grassroot development will have Nsima Ekere in mind as they are going out to their polling units. Today, roads in the rural areas in the State are in deplorable conditions because of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s continued operation of joint account with local government councils. Funds meant for local government are grossly mismanaged. To change all that and restore the pride of all local councils in Akwa Ibom State, and to encourage all round development in villages, vanguards for rural development will go for Obong Nsima Ekere, because as Governor, he will respect and restore financial autonomy of local government in Akwa Ibim State. This is one expectation that will attract massive vote to Obong Nsima Ekere on Saturday, March 9, 2019.

Those that would want Akwa Ibom State to be strategically positioned in the national politics will opt for Nsima Ekere. Our son, Senator Udoma Udoma, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, had recently charged the people in the state to vote Obong Nsima Ekere so as to link up Akwa Ibom with the federal government for the purpose of attracting democratic dividends. According to him, the state stands a chance of getting back a rejuvenated ALSCON t, including construction of a bridge linking Oron with Calabar; rail way from Lagos to Calabar; Ibom Deap Sea Port, and plethora of benefits from the numerous social investment programme, particularly, compulsory cash transfer to the vulnerable, the poorest of the poor in our midst.

Again, commercialization of votes and blazen rigging can alter the outcome of the real electoral activities. It is time to vote for conscience and the freedom of our dear state from the filth hands of the corrupt.

Yes! I am UbongAbasi Ise. For comment, please send your SMS to 08189914609 | ubongabasiise@gmail.com

©The Sensor Newspaper #AkwaIbomDecides2019




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