By ETIM ETIM
The defection of Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State to APC yesterday has heightened speculations that his counterpart in Akwa Ibom, Pastor Umo Eno will follow suit. But in the midst of these speculations, Gov. Eno has told his people that he would not decamp to the APC, but he will support President Bola Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio for reelection. Whether the governor will eventually defect or not is not the focus of this intervention. Rather, I want to highlight the various implications of such a move.
The first thing that would happen if Gov. Eno decamps to APC is that he would come under the leadership, influence and control of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and that would automatically change the tone, structure and contours of politics and governance in the state. The PDP structure would be subsumed under APC; the governor would be expected to dissolve his cabinet and appoint a new one and Senator Akpabio would play a dominant role in the composition of the new government. Some of us know that the SP does not share power with anybody. He goes for full control of men and resources; so expect that he would want to be in full command of the party and government. The SP will want to influence the budget; spread of amenities and infrastructure and allocation of resources. His personal needs will receive adequate attention, too!
How will APC members fair? An APC chieftain told me last night that the SP will now be in control of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District while the governor would be in control of Uyo and Eket Districts. That is the height of naivety. Akpabio does not share power. In the new APC, those who have been marginalized over the years – people like me and some others from Uyo Senatorial District – would remain marginalized and kept out of the party, while the favoured ones – especially our brethren from North West senatorial district- would be in the centre of things, enjoying Akwa Ibom monthly allocations!
Another possible scenario is that some PDP stalwarts like Onofiok Luke and Emmanuel Enoidem, SAN, may not defect with the governor to the APC. Having been in pwer in the state since 1999, PDP is deeply rooted in all nooks and cranies of the state. There are people who cannot contemplate leaving the party. Enoidem, for instance, has vowed long ago not to leave the PDP and join APC even if there is an earthquake. I sense that he and others of his ilk will therefore stay back and rebuild his party. In fact, I have been told that if the governor defects, the PDP (or whatever remains of it) would field Onofiok Luke as the governorship candidate in 2027 to challenge the governor. In such a scenario, I will not be surprised if some long forgotten APC leaders who have been in the doldrums all these years would not defect back to the PDP. The peace and political harmony that Pastor Eno worked hard to build in the last two years will evaporate, giving way to a new era of acrimony and power tussle. That would be a messy affair.
Governance will also take a beating. Gov. Eno has been quite meticulous and deliberate in the design and implementation of his ARISE Agenda. He has been in full control of his government and programmes, but in the envisaged dispensation, that would naturally undergo some recalibration to accommodate new ideas. While SP loves grandiose monuments, Eno wants to take care of the small people who make up the bulk of our citizenry.
