By 27/06/2011 00:05:00
Akpabio and Akpanudoedehe Senator John Akpanudoedehe is the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in Akwa-Ibom State. He speaks with Deputy Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU on why he is contesting the victory of Governor Godswill Akpabio at the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Uyo, the state capital.
WHAT is your assessment of the political situation in your home state today?
We are in a wrong hand. The man in the saddle has capacity for lying. He is good at deceiving the public. I don’t want to be abusive. Why am I that harsh? The reason is that he is giving the picture of a performer and he is not doing what he is preaching. Take free education, for example. The federal government, in its own statistics, gave Rivers State some kudos. They scored Adamawa State second. Akwa Ibom did not come third. On infrastructure development, the Federal Government gave credit to Anambra. Akwa Ibom did not come second. He is saying that he is developing the state to blindfold people.
How about security in the state?
The Nigeria Police and other security watch agencies have scored Akwa Ibom to be unsafe. during the elections he recruited thugs to maim and kill peoples. They had a plan to smoke out ACN. That means that they should provoke us. They painted us as violent people. We went to Ibiona local government. One of the commissioners came out with guns to stop us from entering that local government. It took the traditional ruler of the place to give his traditional injunction for us to campaign. We were not provoked. we reported the matter to SSS. Nobody was arrested. the only group they could arrest was ACN. We went to 15 local governments. Having failed to stop us from the third local government, we were ambushed. They used money against us. Almost about 10 vehicles were burnt down. We got the police permit to go to Ikot-Ekpeme. The first place we applied for to use was denied us. The second venue they denied us. We got a primary school after 2 p.m. We left Uyo around 2.45 p.m. We were confronted, stoned at. They used machetes. it took the intervention of the DPO of that area to move us away. That was around 6pm. It took the police army, mobile police another one and half hours to take us to a boundary between Ibibio and Anan, his own ethnic area. I did not know what happened at Uyo. but I was amazed that those places were attacked. The idea was to smoke us out. Since we refused to be smoked out, they had to create mayhem to create the intention that we were violent and to get the favour of the President. What is he using the military for? Is he using the military to stop kidnapping? Is he using military to stop criminal activities? He was keeping them because he needed military for elections. My wife is from Ikot-Ekpene. She went to consult her people. The same thing they did to me they did to my wife.
What is the implication of all these?
We have a situation where people are becoming untouchable. Blood does not mean anything. The law now exists to protect a dictator in office. We have a governor that does not tolerate opponents. he does not even understand what it means to be a governor.
When you supported the governor in 2007, did you ever envisage this type of sour relationship?
Sociologically, you cannot subject any human behaviour into a laboratory test. We saw a handsome man, not a paranoid. Would you accept a governor telling you that his opponents want to over run him? What happens to the security money? They even entered a nolli prosecute for an alleged kidnapper to remove him from custody and he was later made a special assistant to one of the commissioners. He is using that as a strategy to intimidate opponents. People are becoming enlightened. That is why they moved to ACN. If you go to Uyo, the governor will claim that all the roads were done by him. He would say that he built a five star hotel, airport, 1,000 roads. If you check the statistics, it is not true. In the state, unemployment has gone up to 75 per cent. There is no law that regulates behaviour and checks corruption in the state. There is no due process. no clear policy. No executive council meeting is held. it is a one man show. It is a government of family members.
If you compare this administration with that of Obong Attah, what would be your assessment?
It is incomparable. Is it in the area of peace? Is it in the area of security? Is it in the area of harmony? Is it in the area of strategic planning and development? You cannot compare.
Why are you challenging the victory of the governor?
Of course, I won. That is why people are not celebrating in Akwa Ibom State. They know I am their governor. You can parade yourself as governor, but you need legitimacy and perception. Legitimacy is voluntary. You cannot force it. If you remove that acceptability, there is no government.
Generally, foreign and domestic observers adjudged the elections to be free and fair. Why do you think that your state is an exception?
If we look at it from the point of view of my state, it was not a free and fair election. We have a process of knowing whether it is free and fair. That is why we are the tribunal. We are following Nigerian law. Our prayer is that the judges would remember that they have children and do justice. I am afraid to cite the case of Abacha’s son looking for justice, when actually, there was no justice during his father’s administration. Journalists should also remember the blood of their colleagues who died for democracy and re[ort activities well. Not every body can afford the high sum they spend for media advertisement today. The governor is using public money to advertise the mayhem he has perpetuated and ascribing bit to ACN. He is misleading the public.
When you count the cost of electioneering and now, the cost of litigation, don’t you think that democracy is hard to secure?
In the West, an average woman knows her right. A Yoruba knows that power is not served ala cart. One must come out. That is why Awolowo is being mentioned today. I am on that path. Today, an average person in Akwa Ibom is becoming more conscious. People love me because I am giving back to society part of what it gave to me. At a tender age, I was elected local government chairman. I was elected senator twice. I have been a minister. God has been kind to me. Like Bill Gates, you need to use your resources for the people. You need to fight for the right of others. We must work toward collective prosperity, not individual prosperity. If you don’t create that society, you will die and your children would not be able to operate in the environment.
How has the adjustment been in the process of transiting from an operator within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ACN, which is an opposition party?
I was detained falsely over accusation of murder. I wrote to the former Speaker of House of Representatives and Senate. They did not investigate it. I am their former colleague. The difference between ACN and PDP, in my view, is that there is affection and understanding in ACN and they stand by you when you have problem, whether you are weak, powerful or strong. The relationship there is very cordial. Its principle and ideology are clear to everybody. Some people said whenever i win, I would still move to PDP. I said no. That will be a sin. Somebody abandoned you and somebody picked you up. That means that you are ungrateful. ACN people are very straight forward people and i like that character.
Some people felt that your incarceration distracted you during the election and affected your performance at the poll. What is your view?
That on its own was a campaign. When I came out of prison, the entire state came to welcome me. It took me four hours to move from prison to my house; a distance of three kilometers. The next day was the National Assembly elections. We won almost seven federal seats. They wrote the results. We won without money. At the presidential election, Akwa Ibom gave ACN more votes that what the presidential candidate got from his home state. it was out of conviction and belief.
What is the level of confidence you have in the judiciary?
I have confidence in God of Justice. God will talk to judges to do the right thing. We are praying for them. If you do good ton a weak man, it can change the destiny of your family. The weak is used to confirm the strong. ACN in Akwa Ibom is stronger than ACN in Oyo State. ACN in Akwa Ibom is stronger than CPC in Nasarawa State. When Asiwaju came to Uyo, he was shocked by the crowd of devoted members and followers. They were shouting his name. He rolled down his screen and they were hailing him. That was the day he believed that ACN is strong in the state. Before, people were saying that Akpabio had the power of incumbency. Akpabio was only popular on the pages of newspapers. Akpabio was telling everyone that I had an agreement with Asiwaju to sell Akwa Ibom State to a Yoruba man. But he brought his wife’s birthday party to Yorubaland. His lawyers are Yoruba. His friends are Yoruba. When you see a confused man he is inconsistent.
How safe are you in Akwa Ibom State?
Of course, I am not safe. When I go to Akwa Ibom State, I move with a lot of security people. My people secure me. My security is in the hand of God. When I am in town, people don’t sleep because I am the only person they have.
What is the assurance that you will not defect to PDP when the coast is clear?
I will be unfair to my children. What do I really want? PDP abandoned me. They took the ward executive from me. They did not give me a fair chance of competing. They did not know my value. Then, I had the opportunity to build a party. I cannot go back to PDP. I am not a dog. Dogs eat their vomits. I am a man of character. Ask from senators between 1999 and 2007. I have won elections. All my life, I have not been violent. I have never committed crime before. I passed through screening when it was difficult to pass through. The problem is with my rivals. Who among them had the opportunity when I was elected chairman of Uyo Municipal? I became senator. I opened door for all of them. I was locally bred to become a senator. People following me are not mediocre. They are knowledgeable. They are misusing public money for cheap publicity.
What is the future of your party in Akwa Ibom?
In a free and fair elections, no party can beat ACN in Akwa Ibom.
What aspect of the electoral process need reformation?
Jega and INEC did well by capturing 10 finger prints. But when military and mobile police come out to rig for some people, they are destroying the electoral process and the Army. Those who rigged election were released by the police and soldiers. We are in a war situation in Akwa Ibom. In the next election, military people, the Army should not come out. The INEC staff that collaborated in rigging should be prosecuted.
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