Eneh John
“One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.”-Chinua Achebe
As the race to the 2019 senate hots up, and the question of who will represent Akwa Ibom Southern Senatorial district is raised, it is expedient to put the records straight, and for the political leaders in Eket Senatorial district, to sit back and take a uniformed position, as we gear up to 2019 elections.
Since the present democratic dispensation in 1999 came up, Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency had first represented the Senatorial district from 1999 and 2007, with Senator Udo Udoma, being the voice of the people in that era. For equity’s sake, Eket Federal constituency had produced two senators in eight years, between 2007 and 2015, through Senator Eme Ekaette and Senator Helen Esuene.
Between 2015 and 2023, Oron Federal Constituency has taken her first turn, between 2015 and 2019, with the non performing and worst Senator to ever be produced from the Senatorial district, in Nelson Effiong.
With one term left for Oron Federal Constituency, for 2019 and 2023, there are litanies of Aspirants from Oro, who are jostling to go to the Senate to represent the Senatorial district. For now, the likes of Kubra Uya, Esio Okwong, Otu Toyo, Akon Eyakenyi, Ekpeyong Ntekim, Victor Antai, etc, are said to have indicated interest to represent Eket in the senate. But it is expedient that decisions should not be taken in a hurry, on who will go to the senate.
Irrespective of political party alliances, let us sit back to have a public gentleman agreement with all the Aspirants, that they will do just one term to complete the turn of Oron and quit the stage for another Federal constituency.
Power is sweet, and he who holds onto it, finds it difficult to let go. It takes one with a high level of integrity to keep to an unwritten agreement.
Let us not find ourselves in 2023 in the debacle that is currently facing Uyo Senatorial district, where Bassey Albert who was to complete the eight year tenure of his Federal constituency is now seeking for a second term, with uncertainty beclouding Uyo, on which direction the senate pendulum should swing.
The only acceptability of an Aspirant should be a round table talk with stakeholders of the Senatorial district, so that in 2023, Money will not be used to influence some persons for such an Individual from Oron to jostle again to return to the senate. We must uphold the agreement for a last term for Oron, to allay our fears for 2023.
Let’s secure the future of our Senatorial district, and live harmoniously in peace, like we’ve lived over decades. It will be suicidal to send a greedy and self centered individual to the senate, who will become another Nelson Effiong, and make us continue to count our losses in the district.
I may not be a Prophet, but the sanctity of our democratic tenets is worth beholding in Eket.
Four years have been wasted by Nelson Effiong. We must chose an individual, whose interest will be the interest of the Senatorial district. One who will understand that he is on a mandate from the people. Appropriately, we have left the pre-2015 era of imposition. Agreed, that Eket is Governor Udom Emmanuel’s Senatorial district, and he will have a say also in who flies the flag of his party, but we must surrender self, and put the overall interest and development of Eket as the uppermost.
Sentiments should be shelved, to actualize our goals, and rescue our Senatorial district. Only an individual with a passion for service, should be considered for the senate position in Eket.
Let us beware of the ides of march, let us beware of Catalans who parade themselves as lovers of the people, but inwardly, are baggages and anti development to the district.
A REPUTATION FOUNDED ON INTEGRITY MUST BE NURTURED BY TRUTH.
Eneh John is an Investigative Journalist, Editor, Trail Reporters News, and an Indigene of Etebi Ikot Use Ekong, Eket.
