Battle For The Political Soul Of Cross River State – By Edem Odo

Edem Odo writes on the battle for the political soul of Cross River State.

Nyesom Wike and Benedict Ayade, governors of Rivers and Cross River states, used to be like college sweethearts, visiting each other at their gubernatorial palaces and giving magnificent photo ops. It was thought at the time that being from the same People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and being in the opposition, the ‘dynamic’ duo will bring to play their firepower against the All Progressive Congress (APC) at the centre – Wike being the brash, no-nonsense ‘machine gunman’ spitting fire and Ayade, the vocabularic lexi-bomber. But Nigerian politics was denied that spectacle because they soon fell out with each other. Shooting the centre that Wike was characteristically known for was not Ayade’s style.

Battle For The Political Soul Of Cross River State - By Edem Odo

Typically Cross Riverian, Ayade chose to play with the centre, even going on tours as often as possible with the president, Muhammadu Buhari, an APC man, who was even guest to Ayade in Calabar.

This was not a sight that the Ikwerre man could stomach.

The animosity between the two came to a head when during the peak of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Ayade announced that he would quarantine visiting NCDC personnel from Port Harcourt for 14 days. Wike was upset. When Wike faced Ayade, he called the Cross River State governor, a ‘federal government boy’. At this time, it was already being touted that Ayade would leave the PDP for the APC.

If Ayade complained about Wike to the party leadership, they seemed not to be listening. Ayade complained loudly, this time to the visiting Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, that the PDP national leadership were not treating him well and that he may soon have to leave the party. Wike heard and said loudly also that some governors were ‘419 governors’ and he was not one of them.

His salvo continued, “It’s not by force, it’s not by propaganda, it’s not by giving a budget that is unrealistic and fraudulent. A very poor state will be giving budgets of over one trillion when Rivers state cannot give a budget of N400 Billion.”

At this certain time, Ayade was fighting for the soul of the PDP of the Northern Senatorial District. There was a senatorial bye-election following the sad passing of Rose Oko, who was serving until her unfortunate demise. The battle was between Stephen Odey and Jarigbe Agom. Odey was declared the winner at the polls, but Agom was granted victory at the courts. Odey is Ayade’s man. Despite all Ayade’s protests to the national leadership to ensure the installation of Odey, they referred him to the court processes and how their hands were tied.

Wike is not relenting. It has been conjectured that he is solidly backing the gubernatorial aspirations of Prof. Sandy Onor, serving senator of the Central Senatorial District, as if Agom’s victory at the Supreme Court is not enough. Another loss for Ayade within Ayade’s PDP and to Nyesom Wike would be more than a defeat he can take. So, when it was time, six APC governors visited, the Shoki-dancing governor announced his defection to the APC, and moved, taking his minions with him including members of PDP state executive. He seized the old PDP secretariat and made it the new APC headquarters. The battle for the soul of Cross River State seemed to have now changed gear.

But the real soul of the state lies in the hands of the three senators from the state. They are all from the PDP. Two of them, Senator Sandy Onor, rumoured to be Nyesom Wike’s candidate, and Senator Gershom Bassey, who all along has been said to be the natural throw up of a triumvirate arrangement comprising two past-governors, Donald Duke, Liyel Imoke and Bassey, have been said to have gubernatorial ambitions. While Onor is from the Central Senatorial District, Bassey is from the south. For the sake of argument, let’s assume Jarigbe Agom from the North holds the balance of power. Then, whoever, he supports may have the advantage.

Two issues reign supreme in the battle for Cross River State’s political soul – zoning and competence.

There has always been the talk of zoning. It is a major part of the Cross River State political discourse and expectations. In the state, the discussions have centred around power returning to the south, the central and the north having just completed their turns. If we include Clement Ebri’s tenure, the central district has had two rotations, south has done one and the north one. But suddenly, groups within the party insist that the zoning principle falls away, and thus, the position is up for anyone based on merit.

This is the plank on which Onor from the Central Senatorial District is running. Onor, while being all the time a politician and a past local government chairman, is an academician. He is a grassroots man and is cited with empowering many of the youth of his constituency. If he wins, apart from Wike, the Central will be doing a third rotation. This is considered impossible as it would not be accepted by the other zones and would make the PDP vulnerable. Ayade playing the zoning card from the APC will thus have advantage because he will push a southern candidate. Within the PDP, Bassey from the south is an engineer and businessman and has always been in the inner circle of Cross River State politics. As a senator, apart from a boisterous legislative CV, he is said to have delivered a plethora of projects including road, power, education, healthcare, and water projects. His claim to fame indeed includes being chairman of the Cross River State Water Corporation. His tour of duty as Cross River Water Board chairman has marked the state’s finest hour in the distribution of potable water. Sadly, the taps under Ayade have now gone dry.

Just as water is everywhere and there is none to drink, Cross River State has been steadily going down the drain. Its interstate axial roads and other state road infrastructure are in a state of disrepair. Healthcare delivery has virtually gone comatose. Commerce is grinding down to a halt. Tourism which used to be the mainstay of the Cross River State economy has taken a vacation. Investments which were coming into the state over the years have beaten a retreat.

Assuming it depends on them, who among the two senators can muster the state’s meagre resources and not only turn on the taps, but deliver the goods? Who has the federal influence to ensure the inter-state roads are fixed, guarantee that the East-West rail is drawn line to the state, and that the Calabar channel to the Calabar port is properly dredged?

Who would create the atmosphere for business to flow to the state and ensure that tourism booms again? The state needs reengineering. Who understands the process that can fix it? It definitely goes beyond the issue of zoning.

Zoning is a factor. Yes. It also goes beyond the fight for control between Nyesom Wike and Benedict Ayade. As they say, las las, money go flow. But the question is who can really deliver? Let equity decide.

* Odo is a management consultant and lives in London.

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Eyo Nse is a creative writer, blogger and a software engineer.He is a simple individual who loves to see others succeed in life.Mr Wisdytech as he is popularly known - started blogging in the early 2000's.