BY TONY NYONG

GOVERNOR Godswill Obot Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, on May 29, took oath of office to continue the business of governance in the state, alongside with his new deputy, Obong Nsima Ekere, at a crowded ceremony held at the Uyo Sports Stadium.

The colourful ceremony, according to the governor, marked the beginning of another four years of uncommon development of the state, which he said would affect the lives of the entire citizenry of Akwa Ibom.

How the administration progresses would be largely defined by the inputs and actions of key members of the cabinet, most importantly the reappointed Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, other stakeholders, and possibly the opposition.

The personalities include the Governor’s wife, Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, Deputy Governor Nsima Ekere, the governor’s family members and close relatives, members of the National Assembly from the state, Speaker  of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, helmsmen of local government councils, opposition leader, Senator John James Akpan Udoedehe and leaders of other political parties.

Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio
Fondly called Mother Theresa of the era, the First Lady is not expected to shy away from the political limelight of the state. She had actually played her role as a real pillar of support to the husband during the campaigns and in the next four years she is expected to use her matrimonial bond  to not just help him at the home front, but also to influence certain policies and programmes, including appointments to some key political offices.

While the ability of the first lady to influence policies may not be too glaring, that of being in good position to shape the direction of the governor’s relationship with some players in the government is quite obvious.  Ekaette Akpabio’s pet programme, Life Enhancement Initiative has also endeared her to many less privileged persons in the state and she is not playing politics with it.

Deputy Governor and SSG
Since Akpabio is doing his second and last  term, rumours  that deputy governor Ekere, who had contested the governorship position in 2007, and the SSG, Umana Umana, are interested in the governorship come 2015, as possible successors to Akpabio, may influence the shape and character of the administration.

Given the scenario that was experienced in the days of Obong Victor Attah and Engr. Chris Ekpenyong in defending Annang interest and at the same time aligning with a sitting governor, the duo  may face similar challenges with the clash of interest, perhaps fighting a sitting Governor from within as Ekpenyong did during their second term saga.

How  Ekere and Umana handle their potential gubernatorial rivalry would definitely be interesting. One prominent contender would be the out-gone Deputy Governor, Engr. Patrick Ekpotu around whom there are speculations of a governorship race in 2015.

Such speculations were said to have inspired the internal intrigues that partly informed the decision to  drop him when some powerful forces chose to replace him with Ekpotu saying repeatedly that he had committed the treatment and humiliation to the cosmic laboratory.

National Assembly members
Senator Effiong Dickson Bob, immediate past Chairman, Senate Services Committee and Senator representing Akwa Ibom North East, Uyo Senatorial District and member ECOWAS Parliament was able to use his position as the Chairman of the State Caucus in the National Assembly to ensure there was no rift between the legislators and the government, which paid off in terms of accelerating development.

The leadership of the State Caucus of the National Assembly would have a lot to do to allow  the  harmonious ambience that would help the governor to quickly settle down to the business of governance. Bob was indeed a stabilising factor in the difficult and teething days of Akpabio and his successor is expected to toe the same path.

The National Assembly members are in good position to shape the character of the Akpabio through their advice and co operation.

Speaker
The Speaker of the State House of Assembly is to be another stabilizing factor in the government, through effective legislation and ensuring harmonious relations with the Executive arm.

Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga
As the Director General, Akpabio Campaign Organisation, Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga, has some level of influence on the sitting governor and cannot just be ignored even though he struggled to deliver his Unit and Ward to the PDP during the elections. He is expected to influence the administration’s appointment especially as they concern his Nsit Ibom Local Government area.

Chief Afangide and Monsignor Iyangetor
These are interesting times for these two silent but strong influences on the governor. Leading politicians, their godfathers or lobbyists are in a rat race to get one appointment or the other for themselves or their cronies.

A host of them are exploiting all avenues to claw into the Governor’s cabinet. A similar jostle for the position of Special Assistant and Personal Assistant to the Governor has also heightened.

Lobby groups have continued to pressure the duo to have their names forwarded to the Governor for possible consideration for political appointment.

The Akpabio family
Members of the Akpabio family have also constituted themselves into a power bloc that is wittingly or unwittingly shaping Akpabio;s government. They have formed a very formidable force to support, advise and back up the governor in certain decisions to help him and like what should be expected, the governor is at home with them.

Senator John James Udoedehe
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) gubernatorial candidate in Akwa Ibom State is another figure, who would help shape the state positively or negatively as the leading opposition party.

How Udoedehe responds to the administration’s olive branch to opposition parties to form part of the cabinet amid the lingering legal issues will go a long way to shape events in Akwa Ibom.

Major issues that will dominate the governor’s second terminclude insecurity and unemployment. The governor had during his campaigns harped on tackling these problems holistically, stressing that he was going to embark on industrialization to ensure that the teeming youths were gainfully employed.