BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

Senator Etang Umoyo was a member of the third republic Senate and is presently, the chairman of the Eket Senatorial Forum which is in the vanguard for the expression of the political interests of the senatorial district. In this session with newsmen in Lagos, Senator Umoyo articulates his reasons why the next Governor of Akwa Ibom State should come from the senatorial district. Excerpts:

DISTINGUISHED Senator, some people are already jostling for position and reckoning against the post Akpabio era. As a senatorial leader from Eket, what stand are you taking?

The stand that we are taking, not me as a person, but Eket as a Senatorial district, under the Eket Senatorial Forum, is that the governorship should shift to Eket Senatorial District at the end of Governor Akpabio’s tenure in 2015 because since the creation of Akwa Ibom State, we have always been operating on the basis of power shift.

That is rotation of governorship position, starting with Obong Akpan Isemin from Uyo senatorial district who took the first shot. When his administration was aborted via military intervention, we again went back to the drawing board and supported another person from Uyo Senatorial District, as it were, to go and complete his tenure.

That was Obong Victor Attah. At the end of Attah’s administration, it was agreed by all of us – Attah himself made a pronouncement in 2006 that after him, governorship seat should shift to Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District and Governor Akpabio, the incumbent governor of the state was declared as the direct and definite beneficiary of that arrangement.

That is the position. It is natural that at the end of this regime, power should naturally shift to Eket Senatorial district. Eket senatorial district is pre-eminently qualified to produce the governor. Since the creation of Akwa Ibom State about 24 years now, it is the only district that has not produced a governor of that state.

Uyo has produced two governors in the person of Akpan Isemin and Obong Victor Attah. Ikot Ekpene, by 2015, would have completed its own tenure of eight years in the person of Chief (Barrister) Godswill Akpabio. Eket Senatorial District is the only one yet to produce.

Was there any charter or documented agreement as to zoning of political power when Akwa Ibom was created in 1987?

There was no documented agreement but there was a general understanding and a gentlemanly agreement agreed to and endorsed by all senatorial districts and we have been operating that since then.

But opponents of zoning say that all senatorial districts have been contesting the position at all times?
That is the argument they are brandishing around. But the truth of the matter is that when Akpan Isemin contested, we agreed that Uyo, being the state capital, and Uyo senatorial district being the district that has the vast majority of ethnic groups, in the body of the Ibibios, should take the first shot and that happened. In Attah’s time, the same principle applied.

Senator Etang Umoyo

So, the opinion of the people I will call mainstream political formations, mainstream political leaders, was in favour of that position. That did not stop individuals going to vie for positions in defiance of what the mainstream decision was. But the question is in the end, what happened?

For instance, at the time of  Akpan Isemin, Dr. Mfon Amana contested against him from the same NRC. There was another person from Uyo Senatorial District in the same NRC, Ekpong Ntak, who contested against him. Another person from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, Sir S. U. Akpan contested against him. But at the end of the day, it was the mainstream decision that held sway.

If Eket is given the slot, it will need the support of other senatorial districts. What efforts are you making to enlist the support of other senatorial districts?

We are making very serious efforts. We have approached Uyo senatorial district. We have approached Ikot Ekpene senatorial district. Ikot Ekpene senatorial district agreed with us that it is our own turn after their son to produce the next governor. Uyo senatorial district is the only adamant district which insists on another governor coming for that same district.

What justification did Uyo Senatorial district make when you approached it for support for your district?
Uyo senatorial district is insisting that there had never been zoning of governorship in Akwa Ibom State. They are saying it has always been an all comers affair and we are saying no, it is not so.

Political structure
The mere fact that individuals, after the mainstream political parties and formations, had taken a position, go and start contesting does not invalidate the political structure and opinion of the majority in Akwa Ibom State. All these people who contested against the views of the majority had always lost.

With this strong agitation for zoning to Eket, do you have a candidate that will be generally acceptable to all?
No, we do not have a candidate. That will create a very serious problem. An activity that is going to take place in 2015, you don’t bring out a candidate and brandish. It is in the nature of this business that that candidate will be killed before then.

Let me point out that Eket senatorial district is very rich both in human and material resources. Some people are saying we are going to field a mediocre and I do tell them this is a senatorial district that produced the likes of U J Esuene, governor in the former South Eastern State.

Somebody whose records remain unchallenged; Dr. Clement Isong, first class world economist and many more. We have rich array of professionals all over. This is the biggest senatorial district in the state. It has127 wards and 12 local government areas.

What if the political bigwigs in the state say the pendulum should remain in Uyo or Ikot Ekpene senatorial district?
I don’t know what you mean by political bigwigs. But I know that the vast majority of those who do this politics with us are in support of zoning because if they don’t do so, they may not have the political wherewithal for them to also produce one when their time comes.

So, they will want to support what is transparent, honest, easy and work towards ensuring that zoning is endorsed and from time to time it will go round and also come to them.

There are insinuations that the prominent members of the Akpabio cabinet notably the deputy governor and the SSG are already signifying interest in the position. Will that not lead to disharmony in the party?

The deputy governor has not told me he is going to contest the governorship race neither has the SSG told me. It is only the body language that we are getting. As far as I am concerned, it is still in the realm of speculation. When they come around and tell us, we will know what to do.