By Chioma Gabriel & Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Calabar

Ahead of the April 2012 governorship election in Cross River State, the tempo of political activities are gradually picking up. There are reports of alignment and re-alignment among the political class. Besides, there are intrigues, strategies and even name callings and blackmails, while posters of the incumbent governor has started flooding the state by different political groups struggling to be heard and seen by the governor with the intention of being rewarded with political appointments when the elections are over.

Anybody entering Calabar from the Margaret Ekpo Airport would be greeted with the campaign billboards of the governor . The governor recently explained to newspaper editors who paid him a visit that the bill-boards were a handiwork of Legacy group which wanted a second term in office for him. He further explained he has never given a kobo to sponsor the bill-board project.

For now, it is not certain whether Governor Imoke will have any formidable opposition in the election. The only seemingly visible opposition would come from the same Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, where the immediate past Nigeria Ambassador to Mali and former state chairman of the party, Chief Soni Abang is perceived to be girding his loin to challenge Imoke in the party’s gubernatorial primaries.

Although, there has not been any serious sign to show that Chief Abang is ready for the challenge, it was however gathered that he has embarked on extensive consultations trying to convince the people on why there should be a change of government.

For some critics in the state, the governor is slow and not executing the type of projects his predecessor, Mr. Duke was executing and had allowed some of his commissioners whom the critics believe have no business in his administration to still hold sway.

But the state commissioner for information and Orientation, Mr. Patrick Ugbe said that the administration was not interested in what he described as white elephant projects that do not have direct impact on the lives of the common people especially the rural dwellers.

Ugbe said that the governor had promised that his administration would only serve those that need it most, adding that the administration is not for the elite but the downtrodden who do not have any access to the governor.

Gov. Imoke and Duke

During the week, the governor played host to senior newspaper editors and took them on the tour of some on-going projects in the state, starting from some the rural roads under construction , the new bridge recently constructed and the site of the new conference centre in Tinapa, among other places.

Governor Imoke spoke with passion about his desire for every rural community to feel the impart of his government. His big dream for civil servants in the state to dwell in peaceful abodes is not in doubt. A new housing estate for the lucky civil servants has been under construction and would be completed within six dry months.

“ This government has touched the lives of the rural dwellers as no other has done. There is no community in Cross River today that has not felt this government, if it is not a road, it will be a health centre, if it is not a health centre, it will be a school, it will be water, it will be electricity, go around this state and see, the rot that was there in this state before now is almost non-existent, you know how big Cross River is.

“This government has embarked on rural roads, the first phase of rural roads were 530 kilometers with bridges which are about 85 percent completion now, then the second phase which is being handled by Cross River RAMP project, about 474 kilometers of rural roads. So within four years, over a thousand kilometers of rural roads are being constructed in Cross River State.

“I am one of the few governors who continued with almost everything the predecessor started. I continued with all the projects of the former governor. He built Tinapa and started the Carnival Calabar but I have taken it to a greater height. You can see the branding of the Carnival.

“You can see Dangote sign boards everywhere and you have gone to the carnival village. That too is branded and for the first time, Cross River state is making hundreds of millions from the Carnival Calabar. “Cross River state does not have issues with security.

“This is about the most peaceful state you can find in Nigeria. I move around in the crowd without fear as you witnessed in the stadium and as you can see, most of the young people in the state have been given an opportunity to make something out of their lives. The whole hotels in Calabar are booked and the young people are busy making their money in the carnival village.”

Answering question on whether Imoke deserves a second tenure based on some pockets of criticisms that the administration was slow, one of his Commissioners, Patrick Ugbe rhetorically asked, “I want to ask the question, why doesn’t he deserve a second tenure? Senator Liyel Imoke has done very well, excellently well for Cross River.

“People do not understand the challenges that are going on. Midway through his tenure, the state almost went bankrupt when we lost 76 oil wells and we lost half of the revenues that went with it, yet the state stayed afloat, yet the state is seen as a model state, yet the state is seen as a destination, how possible is that because of one man, because of his creative and ingenious way of handling the affairs of the state, of managing the meager resources within his control to ensure that the state stays afloat.

“I dare say if it wasn’t for him, if it was any other person, who wasn’t such a deep thinker, this state would have gone under, there is no way that the projects that were ongoing would still have been going on. The projects are still going on, it is a miracle that they are still going on. How is he able to do it, that is where the challenges lie, it may not be going on at the pace that they were when he started, but the projects are still going on, so it tells much about the man and what he has been able to do.

“Like the governor said himself, there is no community in Cross River state that has not been touched, yet this is when we lost the revenues, we lost most to Akwa-Ibom and some to Cameroun.”

Though, it has been rumoured that former Governor Duke who was a bosom friend of Imoke harbours a plot to dislodge Imoke in 2012, some prominent personalities from the area have come out openly to disown him, claiming that it has been only the administration of Imoke that has been able to touch the lives of the people.

Imoke however believes he and the former governor Duke are still friends and to buttress it, he said he spent three hours with the former governor in his abode recently.

Amongst those strongly in support of the governor’s second term in office is a member, representing Boki 11 in the state House of Assembly, Chief Jacob Enyia who has called on his kinsmen to remain committed to the project of re-election of Governor Imoke claiming that Imoke’s achievements qualify him for another tenure.

According to him, “At no time in the political history and development of the Boki nation than during the regime of Senator Liyel Imoke, between May 2007 to date, that Boki people have been recognized and given attention in terms of appointments into government and intervention in rural roads, electricity, water supply and the development of educational infrastructure.

He further said that it would be “irresponsible, callous and sheer ingratitude for any Boki son or daughter to bring the name of His Excellency Senator Liyel Imoke to disrepute for whatsoever reason”, he said.

In the same vein, a support group for the re-election of Imoke known as Yakurr Grassrooters for Liyel Imoke has also promised to ensure that they mobilize the people of the area to ensure the re-election of Imoke.

Speaking at the inauguration of the group, its coordinator and former commissioner in the Duke’s administration, Hon Etim Ayomobi said the decision to form the support group was to aggressively galvanise and harmonise support in the area for Imoke in the April 2012 election in the state.

Ayomobi emphasised that Imoke deserves the support of all Yakurr people who he said have benefitted from the laudable programmes of his administration in the state, adding that the group would work to ensure that members of other political parties in the area change their minds to vote for him.

Ayomobi listed the achievements of the governor in the local government area to include, massive construction of rural roads, keeping faith with the Ugep Urban renewal programme, renovation of secondary schools as well as empowerment of 130 farmers and the appointment of seven indigenes into various political offices.

He charged members of the group not to leave any stone unturned to enhance the actualisation of the objective.

A founding member of the group, Hon. Julius Inah urged the people to be firm in their support for Imoke’s re-election to enable him complete all ongoing people-oriented programmes initiated in his first term as the governor of the state.

On his part, a PDP stalwart in the area Barr Mike Okoi Onen noted that the first tenure of Imoke in the state witnessed relative peace because he is a man of peace, adding that Imoke has also been tested and trusted by the people of Cross River.

The Cross River State Chapter of Jonathan/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organization also vowed to deliver Imoke and his deputy; Mr. Efiok Cobham in their second term ambition in the April 2012 governorship re-scheduled election.

The group which has metamorphosed into Legacy Group supporting Liyel Imoke declared that there was no vacancy at the Peregrino Government house, Calabar and advised whoever was interested in the forthcoming election to wait till 2016.

Director General of the group, Mr. Agon Jarigbe in an interview after the inauguration of the coordinators in the 18 local government areas of the state said that the legacy of Governor Imoke will see him through in the election.

He said, “In fact, you should know without saying it, it is as clear as crystal that there is no vacancy because as it stands today, Senator Liyel Imoke’s legacy will see him through. He is a good material, he is a good commodity, he does not need too much of marketing, so I think there is no vacancy”.

Mr. Jarigbe denied the insinuation that the legacy group was a splinter group within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, mobilizing resources and working assiduously to dislodge the leadership of the party in the state.

He said that the PDP is an umpire and that there were a lot of people that had indicated the interest to run the election and that the party cannot adopt a candidate, adding that the party will not totally protect the interest of their principal, Governor Imoke presently because it was seen as an umpire .

“At this point in time what we are doing is to sell Liyel to the public on behalf of the PDP just like the other contestants will have their own people who are supporting them. This is a support group for Senator Liyel Imoke. We are not running at parallel lines with the party”, he said.

Answering questions about the funding of the campiagn groups for his re-election from newspaper editors who visited him recently, Imoke said he was not the person funding the Legacy group and has never given them a kobo.

“ They are a group of people who came together to support my second term in office but I never funded them nor partook in the things they are doing to ensure I return to office.”

Asked whether he entertain fears that what happened to the Bayelsa and Sokoto PDP governors could happen to him, Governor Imoke said the circumstances are not the same and does not believe he would suffer such a fate.

A member of the Board of Trustees and member representing Akamkpa 11 State Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon. George Oben’Etche said that the Legacy group was formed to build and fortify the present achievements of Imoke and project a bright future.

Going by what people are saying and despite the pockets of opposition in the state, Imoke may have a smooth ride in his bid to secure another term based on what the people have described as massive infra structural development and rural transformation.