It is no longer news that Governor Godswill Akpabio is hell-bent on imposing his business partner, Udom Emmanuel, on the good people of Akwa Ibom state by all means. What may be news, however, is the motive behind the governor’s desperation.
Despite the insistence of President Gooduck Jonathan and National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) Alhaji Adamu Muázu, on transparent primaries for elective offices in the PDP, this ‘demi-god’ of a governor has already set in motion the machinery of the state to ensure the enthronement of the now ex-SSG as his successor.TheOracleNaija can authoritatively reveal the real reasons behind Akpabio’s desperate manoeuvre to install his stooge as governor, as follows:
The governor’s despair is borne out of his desire to cover up the reckless manner in which he has executed his duties as governor in the last seven and a half years. The governor’s wife recently told a group of perceived loyalists that Udom Emmanuel was the only person who would be able to cover their backs after leaving office. Therefore, Akpabio’s antics are about “covering” his back, after all.
Additionally, Akpabio who hugs the limelight like a showbiz impressario cannot imagine life outside of the exalted office. He has been in government for 16 years, having spent eight years as commissioner and another eight years as governor of Akwa Ibom state and is unwilling to quit the stage after all. Insiders say the governor is scared stiff of life outside of the opulent Hilltop Mansion and would do anything that guarantees his relevance beyond 2015.
To worsen the situation, the governor does not have answers to questions asked about the utilization of over N2.3t, which has accrued to the state from the federation account in the 7 years and six months under his watch. Currently, the governor has failed to respond to the challenge thrown by the Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on what he has done with the monies received from the Federation Account since he became governor in 2007!
Sadly enough, these monies were frittered away without any meaningful improvement in the living condition of Akwa Ibom people.
Akwa Ibom State which receives the highest allocation from the Federation is currently indebted to contractors to the tune of N318b and the banks to the tune of N110b. While a lot of contractors in the state have abandoned their contracts and left, we have it on good authority that the sum of N5b goes to the servicing of a loan facility taken from the United Bank for Africa (UBA) and that sum would be pay monthly until September 2016.
Even the terminal building project at the so-called Akwa Ibom International Airport has been abandoned. (Did anyone see the newly commissioned Dutse International Airport? Several other projects, including the MIO project and the Eket- Etinan road construction have also been abandoned.
In spite of all these and characteristically, the governor has now decided to build a five-star hotel in Ikot Ekpene at the estimated cost of N18b, a cost higher than what would have been used to complete the abandoned Tropicana project. Contract for the construction of this hotel has been awarded to a Turkish company, the same one which is working on the resuscitation of moribund Biscuits and Battery factories in Ikot Ekpene.
We are told that the hotel project was inflated so as to raise money for the resuscitation of these companies which would be handed over to the governor and his family.
Akpabio thinks that Udom would be the only one who could protect him against investigations by of the Operation Zero Potholes Programme as is being currently executed under the auspices of the Ministry of Works. This contract over which close to N50b has allegedly been expended was awarded to Raycon, a construction company owned by a Lebanese who has not been seen anywhere around the state in the last two months.
The governor thrives on the privileges of life in the corridors of power, especially unhindered access to funds and executive immunity. No other governor of the oil-rich state had ever had it so good in terms of revenue from the federation account. Being a greedy fellow, Akpabio cannot envision life without such privileges. Above all, the governor has a selfish desire to mortgage the future of the state, and would wish to continue to rule the state by proxy after the expiration of his tenure in May 2015 and only Udom can allow him a free hand to do that.
These are, clearly, a few of the reasons why the governor is so bent on installing a stooge as governor.
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