Who Can Stop Udom Inoyo?
By UbongAbasi Ise
Recent narratives in Akwa Ibom State on Udom Inoyo’s purported governorship ambition have created a sensation that makes 2023 appear to be coming in the next four months instead of about four years time. Inoyo’s supporters have rolled out their drums already; the opposing voices have begun their renditions. Dance has started even before the actual party that would take more than three years to arrive. What Ini Ememobong said during his last press briefing that the state governor and his PDP have not adopted, endorsed, encouraged or prefer any aspirant for 2023 gubernatorial election, was nothing but a waste of energy, or outright pretension, so to speak.
Of course Udom Inoyo is an Akwa Ibom son, so he has all the rights to contest governorship position of his state; he is from Uyo Senatorial District, he has the privilege too, because it is the turn of his senatorial district to produce the next governor in line with the subsisting power rotation arrangement. Again, Inoyo appears not to be having noticeable records at the moment that are antithetic to the laws of the land that could have precluded his chances of contesting any office. The only circumstance working against him is the instinctive feelings of the frustrated masses that see him as a bugaboo with suspicion that his governorship ambition is taking roots from a ne’er-do-well incumbent power that is currently misgoverning the state. If his attachment to the interest of the incumbent is the only popular grudge against Udom Inoyo, then people are not totally wrong to follow proverbial logic which holds that whatever comes from a snake is stringy.
Base on common experience, when Udom Emmanuel came, he came with no colour, no taste and no scent. Today, his administration has drowned our collective expectation as a state. Likewise, Udom Inoyo is appearing with similar pattern: he looks so humble, agreeable, and sophisticated with sagacious mien. We have seen this mode before; we also know how it ends, or predict how it will end.
Therefore, if Udom Inoyo’s ambition is a child of Udom Emmanuel’s succession agenda, there is high probability that Inoyo would behave like his benefactor should he finds his way to the Hilltop Mansion in 2023. There is a growing fear that his tenure might become a continuation of the old themes that characterized Udom Emmanuel’s administrative timeline.
Yes! Udom Inoyo and Udom Emmanuel may turn out to mean the same thing to our businesses and opportunities. Is there any wisdom in restarting the old system with Inoyo? Could we continue with the trend of accumulating IGR by way of multiple and heavy taxations of ailing private businesses that receive no patronage or capital boost from the government of the day? Could we still continue with the food sufficiency policy that could not stop our traders from travelling dangerous routes to Cross River, Benue and northern states just to bring in staple food items? Could we still maintain the system that uses the propaganda of industrialization to veil the true state of youth unemployment? Would our students agree to a repetition of an era they never experience anything like bursary payment and scholarship from the state government? Would Inoyo’s years not going to redouble the present day unpaid leave grants, gratuities and backlog of promotion arrears? Wouldn’t his administration take precedent of mindless sack of employers from the present governor who brusquely terminated the appointment of over 5,000 teachers and 768 local government areas’ staff? Udom Inoyo may not be a bad personality after all, but all these fears inspired by the present administration could be his albatross because of his perceived ties with the incumbent. Therefore any frantic attempt at the moment to extirpate his chances is justified. We are humans; it is natural to have fears.
But we are in Akwa Ibom where anything goes, and where reasons do not matter in the face of real test. The power-that-be always read and understand common aptitude and mentality and then know how to overcome any resistance whether active or passive. If Udom Emmanuel wants to install Udom Inoyo as his successor, I don’t think anyone could stop him. First of all, those saying ‘to hell with Udom Inoyo’ may not be serving as the political party’s delegates when primary elections come. Even if they constitute the delegation, they are unlikely to say no to the petrodollars that would be begging their attention. The megabucks that would be running after the electorates are enough to cure ill-feelings generating from the previous years of misrule. So how would the naysayers stop the Udoms from having their way? The only way is to turn back against bags of naira for what they believe in, but could that be possible?
It seems our political economy is structured to create poverty, just for a purpose. Perhaps it is a strategy employed by the present governor to limit government domestic expenditure in order to maintain an impecunious population and to keep the people perpetually in wants. In this way, they would not say no in the face of tempting wads of naira. It would apparently be easy to control their thinking and choices when there is less food in their stomach. That is why the state government mostly does its business in Lagos today, ignores local contractors, keeps employment levels low, slashes imprest of MDAs, limits subventions to schools and strategically slow down the pace of economic mobility.
Gone are the days when popularity wins election. Today, it is payment, not popularity that holds sway. The trend has changed. Politicians that fail to take cognizance of this paradigm shift in politics would soon become subjects of joke and mockery. The 2023 governorship race may not be a game of popularity; it may turn out to be an affair of cash-and-carry. The would-be contenders should prepare for ‘money-for-hand back for ground’ electioneering. It would be a game won by the highest bidder. It is a mere prediction, the tides may turn anyway.
To some aspirants, this may not a propitious time to start electioneering campaign because it may be difficult to service loyalty till 2023. What they should do for now is to help stall the ongoing systematic mass impoverishment. One of the ways to achieve this is by way of helping push the federal government’s social investments, including employments and contracts to Akwa Ibom populace. With this, they could cultivate loyalty and create some space in the minds of the people when the chips are down.
Because Udom Inoyo is yet to unveil the blueprint he has under his sleeves, it is difficult to make decision on him. But for now, the impression is that, he is created in the bad image of the present administration. He still has time to erase the ugly picture anyway. My suggestion is that he should use these few years to reach out to people and lift them within his capacity from doldrums of poverty if he so wish to run for governorship office. He should not wait till the eve of the polls to spread whatever goodwill he has. Akwa Ibom people have had it so bad, and he should show prove that he would change the old story.
Yes! I am UbongAbasi Ise, for comment, please send SMS to 08189914609 | email: ubongabasiise@gmail.com
©The Sensor Newspaper
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