21 January 2019
This morning, veteran politician and former PDP national publicity secretary, Barrister Venatius Ikem, who recently decamped back to the PDP(from APC), took to his facebook page to drop an article which is already stirring some debate and generating controversy. It was an interesting read and I agreed with much of what he said save for the parts where he seemingly claimed that the APC in Cross River is factionalized beyond redemption and also posited that the crowds of hundreds of thousands that trooped out to welcome Senator John Owan-Enoh in Northern Cross River last week were superficial. I know these misconceptions(or better put “mischievous conceptions”) from the learned gentleman aren’t statements of fact but most likely, borne out of the fact that Barrister Vena felt the APC’s governorship ticket should have remained in the North or even handed over to him on a platter of gold. And his inability to get that ticket, predicated his departure and has also brought out the Prima Donna in him.
Being a writer myself, I am careful to watch out for underlying perfidy in any politician-authored article and veteran politician Vena, being a wordsmith, subtly and stealthily injected this into that essay.
Even though I wasn’t around the Cross River state APC members for long enough to observe how united they were, I spent three weeks mixing and matching with them and I can tell you for free that their collective spirit is high and their bigwigs have since unified(united & unified aren’t exactly the same thing) to achieve their common goals in this electioneering season. Asides Vena, the only ‘heavyweight’ that has left the Cross River APC for the PDP in recent months is Mma Giwa(Florence Ita-Giwa) who I won’t(out of respect) refer to as a yesterday’s woman(politically). But most people know that if the Cross River PDP were to list its political assets as of today, Mma Giwa won’t be counted. The PDP in Cross River should be more worried about the gale of defections that hit its Bekwarra chapter when “tsunami Owan-Enoh” touched down middle of last week.
Analyzing the attached picture from Barrister Vena Ikem’s defection some four weeks ago, it can be inferred from his uncomfortable body posture and the sullen look on his(Vena) face that Ayade used all the con at his disposal to coax and hoax him back to the PDP.
Finally, I will like to point out a couple of major behavioral edges Senator Owan-Enoh has over the incumbent Governor Ayade. Owan-Enoh listens- even though he is an emeritus university Don like Ayade, he(Owan) isn’t “All knowing”. When in a fix, he polls for suggestions from even the least of his aides. He is also a serious-minded fast thinker who would rather put on his thinking cap when faced with a problem that dance it away like some governor would do. His high level of self-confidence which is sometimes misconstrued(mischievously construed?) for arrogance is a major attribute Cross River state needs in her next Governor.
Simon Utsu is a social commentator
