The immediate past Leader of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and foremost crusader for the zoning of the Governorship to Eket Senatorial District , Rt. Hon. Okpolupm Etteh, is a stakeholder and committed member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). The Ibeno-born former Assemblyman, who was also a formidable aspirant in the 2015 Governorship, speaks on the spate of blackmail in the state and how he has become an object of blackmail in recent times. Excerpts:
There is a rumour that you are using your closeness to the Governor to ride on people. Others say you are using it to build up political structure for yourself in subsequent election. How true is this?
Well, Editor, this is very serious and interesting. I am used to blackmails. I have been in government in the last 10 years but one thing I must tell you is that only geniuses are blackmailed. But the question is: Do I look like a pretender? When Godswill Akpabio threatened everybody not to run for the 2015 Governorship, did I not contest for the Governorship? Editor of Ibom Telegraph, do I look like a pretender, did I not contest for the 2015 Governorship? I sincerely and conscientiously believe in the Udom Emmanuel leadership as the PDP Governor in Akwa Ibom State. If I don’t believe in what the Governor is doing I would not even be attending party meetings nor show up in government events not to talk of being Chairman of the State Electoral Panel of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded Local Government Primaries.
I do not hide my feelings and I do not pretend. If I want something, I go for it. Like my Pastor will always say, if you are a Pastor of a church and you are not blackmailed by members of the church, then there is something wrong with you and you need deliverance. So, if I occupy an office for more than three months and I am not blackmailed, that means I do not have anything to offer. It is only people that have genuine things to offer that are being blackmailed and the reason is because those blackmailing them are envious of what they are offering. I am a PDP man and I believe in the Governorship of Eket Senatorial District. I believe in the government of Udom Emmanuel. I am not a do-or-die politician; I am a professional in politics and not a professional politician. I am a private-sector-driven politician and so if politics works, fine. If it does not, I move on.
I was the Chairman of the Electoral Panel for Local Government primary set up by the party and I have heard people say that I am very angry with Chief Godswill Akpabio, the Senate Minority Leader, because he took the Governorship ticket away from me and gave it to Udom Emmanuel, and that I am hiding under the Local Government election Panel to deal with Governor Udom Emmanuel, that I have over 16 Chairmen of the Youth Caucus and 23 Chairmanship candidates who are loyal to me. They said I will kick-start my Governorship Campaign by February 2018. There’s something People don’t know about me and Senator Godswill Akpabio. We are from the same family. He’s my Elder Brother. We disagree to agree.
If you trace the information speculated by these blackmailers, you will discover that it is the people that failed the last PDP Chairmanship primaries. I don’t have interest in the Governorship in 2019. I believe in the leadership of Governor Udom Emmanuel. The Governor is my brother and he is from my Federal Constituency. I am happy today because far back in 2011, they were saying that Eket Senatorial District does not have any qualified person to run for the Governorship of the state and today, Udom Emmanuel, from Eket Senatorial District is the Governor. I align myself totally in everything that the Governor is doing in Akwa Ibom but my only appeal is that those local government areas that are not touched yet should be touched through the 2018 budget. I am not going for any election. Whatever the people are saying are pure blackmails because they are intimidated and envious of my relationship with Governor Udom Emmanuel and good things that we are doing in PDP.
Politics is a reality show and whatever you do must be done publicly. So, you don’t come to Uyo and deceive the people and the Governor that you are on ground in your local government when in reality you are not. If you are a strong politician, go to your local government. This thing is operation deliver your Unit, Ward and Local Government Area. Don’t come and stay in Uyo to blackmail people. But sincerely, I love being blackmailed because it is only done when I am positively productive. I come from a family where our word is our bond, integrity is our watchword. Everybody knows the Etteh family of Upenekang in Ibeno, we don’t speak from both sides of our mouth. I have no interest to run for any Governorship. I am very satisfied with the performance of Governor Udom Emmanuel and I believe in his Governorship and I am doing everything to support him to win second term. I know his second term will benefit my people and the people of the state. When I came out for the 2015 Governorship, I stood to the end. I am also saying that I will support Governor Udom Emmanuel till 2023.
We have heard pockets of allegation of shoddiness within the Electoral Panel that you headed, could you tell us what transpired at that Panel?
I am not in the position to speak about whatever happened at the Panel I headed. It is only the party that can speak on that. What happened at the field was not our business. Our business was to get our result sheets back. So, if there were any issue or issues, it was for the Appeal Panel and I want to believe the Appeal Panel did its job because all the complaints that emanated from the conduct of that primary were forwarded to the Appeal Panel and that Panel did its job.
But there are still grievances. It is alleged that some of the Chairmanship candidates of the PDP were imposed on the people against their popular choices.
Editor, how is that possible in a primary that was conducted in the open at the Uyo Township Stadium. We had about 23 Local Government Areas at the Stadium; we had lists of delegates and people voted. Even if they alleging that the Chairmanship candidates were imposed, were they handpicked? Like in Ibeno Local Government Area, where I come from, we had a list of delegates; we had 30 ad-hoc delegates and 50 statutory delegates. So, will 30 ad-hoc delegates impose a Chairmanship candidate against 50 statutory delegates? It is not possible. You were in my local government during the Local Government Campaign flag-off by the State Executive of the PDP, the Ibeno Chapter Chairman of National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) who spoke on behalf of the youths on that day was an aspirant that contested in that primary. The lady that spoke on behalf of the PDP Defenders was herself an aspirant who also contested in that primary. We also had other aspirants who contested in that primary take part in that flag-off ceremony, even the current Transition Chairman, who did not show up on the day of the primary, was also an aspirant in that primary. So, the notion that the Chairmanship candidate of Ibeno or any other local government was imposed or was chosen against the wishes of the people is wrong. You saw the turnout at the flag-off ceremony and the people that came there were not foreigners. What happened at the flag-off ceremony was a confirmation to the fact that the candidate who won the primary to emerge the PDP Chairmanship candidate for Ibeno Local Government Area is just the people’s choice. If the candidate was imposed, the current Transition Chairman would not have supported him and other aspirants would not have graced that flag-off ceremony. Or have you heard anybody defect to other parties as a result of the fallout of that primary?
Akwa Ibom people, particularly faithful of the PDP, believe elections in the state will always be a walk-over for the PDP even when there are indices that show the contrary. As a stakeholder, a committed party man and someone that has been involved in elections, are you not worried by this assertion, looking at the reality?
I am not worried. Akwa Ibom is PDP and there is no doubt about that. I am a major stakeholder and player in the PDP and to the best of my understanding, Akwa Ibom is PDP. For instance, we have 31 Local Government Areas in the state and we have PDP structures in all the local government areas, we have Councillors everywhere and currently we have Transition Committee members in all the local government areas and this is to tell you that Akwa Ibom State is a PDP-controlled state. Every other party, registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who claim to have presence in the state are struggling to stand. Even Senator Nelson Efiong that is in the All Progressive Congress (APC) today is a PDP man because PDP gave him that mandate. The only APC member in the State House of Assembly has recently returned to the PDP. So, Akwa Ibom is 100% PDP. You cannot be an APC Senator when all the local government areas that make up your Senatorial District are PDP, all the House of Assembly members and House of Representatives members from the area are PDP. So, for you to be an APC Senator without foundation makes no sense. Akwa Ibom is a PDP state and even in the forthcoming Local Government Elections, I want to believe sincerely that PDP will win in all the 31 Local Government Areas because it is only PDP that we have at the grassroots with solid structures. So, it will take time for any other party to surface and show active presence in the state. Some people are even tying the presence of APC in the state to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). It is not true. Whatever NDDC is doing is from our money. Akwa Ibom is the highest generator of revenue to the Federal Government and whatever project NDDC is doing in the state is from Akwa Ibom money. So, I sincerely believe that it will take another 50 years for any political party to pose active presence in Akwa Ibom State.
Are you saying this with all amount of authority, even when we have indices indicating the strong presence of APC in the state?
As far as I am concern, there are no indices. Elections in Akwa Ibom will not be done in Abuja. You cannot also stay in Abuja to rig elections in Akwa Ibom. Again, President Mohammadu Buhari, who is the leader of the APC, believes in one man, one vote. The President is someone that believes in a credible election process. It is Akwa Ibom people who will vote in the elections and they will certainly vote PDP. There are a lot of people claiming to be in the APC just because they are looking for contracts and federal appointments. Genuine politicians who went to the APC have returned and others are still returning. You can attest to it. You know what happened in Nsit Atai, Nsit Ibom, Ibiono Ibom and other local government areas and let me also tell you, by December 21, 2017, serious and right thinking politicians in the state will all return to the PDP. You are a journalist, please show me any indication that you feel the APC will use to surprise the PDP in terms of elections.
The country’s security apparatus and the election umpire, INEC, are controlled by the APC-led Federal Government and this could be a leeway for the APC. Don’t you think so?
I disagree with you. The country’s security agencies are for Nigerians and not APC. The Police Force is called the Nigerian Police Force not APC Police Force. None of the security agencies were created from political party even INEC. The fact that the APC controls the central government is not enough reason to think that such power could be wielded against the people of Akwa Ibom. If they are contemplating rigging, the security or INEC cannot rig election for an unpopular candidate or political party.
As somebody that is alleged to be very close to Governor Udom Emmanuel, do you think the Governor has kept to his campaign promises?
Have you not seen for yourself what the Governor is doing in terms of Agriculture, job creation? Go to the Government House and find out the total number of the Governor’s aides. Go to the State Civil Service and find out the total number of newly employed staff. Go to the College of Education, Hospitals, and the State Polytechnic and find out the total number of people recruited by the state government. Is the Governor not constructing roads? As a journalist, you must also help us because as far as I am concerned, the Governor is doing very well.
But we have heard alleged complaints of nonpayment of arrears of primary school teachers’ salaries and other entitlements. Will you deny that?
I am not aware of such allegation. Now that you have mentioned this to me, I will have to find out. Let me do my findings.
Are you not also aware that some of the Governor’s aides are complaining of not being utilized by the government in terms of working tools, mobility and all that?
No, Editor that is not true. You see, those Governor’s aides that are complaining of not being utilized, if any, should resign. There is what we called job satisfaction. If you have been given a job and you feel you have not been utilized or satisfied, what is still keeping you there? Because what you have succeeded in doing is that you are earning money from where you are not supposed to earn. So, you should resign and return the earned money to the government and that way the government will know you have not been utilized. But for you to be receiving salaries and still complaining of not being utilized is the height of ingratitude. For me, if these people are identified, I will advise they should be sacked immediately.
The crisis that surrounded the National Chairmanship of the PDP appears to be settled. Do you think the forthcoming National Convention of the party will further unite and strengthen the party or otherwise?
The purpose of convention is to elect people into various positions to man the party and it is to further unite and strengthen the party not otherwise. For instance, office of the National Chairman of the party has been zoned to the South and whoever emerges from the South will be our National Chairman. So, for me, I do not think there will be any crisis. The PDP is just one indivisible party that is working hard to take back power in 2019.
