SOUTH-SOUTH GOVERNORS PRESIDENCY CHASE : A REPEAT OF HISTORY ?
By Kawuuk Zephaniah Ikpaikor
In the year 2006, during the PDP primaries building up to the April 2007 General Elections, I was an SS 3 student in my community school. As a young school boy, I was not politically active , having yet to attain the suffrage age but I was following and very conversant with political stories, atleast to the extent that was let out in the news.
Growing up in the village, the radio was my most reliable means of getting political stories particularly through FRCN Radio Nigeria network. The internet and new media outlets was not so prevalent during this time.
Three South South Governors were at the fore-front , jostling for the PDP Presidential ticket. Just like in the current rounds of election, the argument was on power shift to the South South. Remember, President Olusegun Obasanjo was to complete is second term on May 29, 2007.
The trio of Obong Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom, Dr. Peter Odili of Rivers and Dr. Donald Duke of Cross River were major force contending for the PDP Presidential flag.
Prior to this time, Gov. Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State had proactively galvanized support and led a successful legal war and subsequently cart away victory against the federal government in the famous Onshore- Offshore oil dichotomy bill.
This undisputably led to the introduction of the 13% derivation into the sharing formula of federal allocation.
These South South Governors unarguably had deep pockets and the financial war chest, with which they prosecute their Presidential campaigns. During this time also, Rivers and Delta States where interchanging first position in crude oil production output among themselves, with Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States not doing so bad for themselves. These Oil production output inverablly translate to higher 13% derivation for these States. So there was some cash to throw around, if you wish !
Gov. DSP Alamiesiegha of Bayelsa State, the then self acclaimed Governor- General of Niger Delta could not curtail the 'exorbirance' that comes with excess cash, allowing it to go into his head. He was later charged and convicted for money laundering. This made the then Bayelsa State Assembly to immediately impeached Alamiesiegha , giving way for his Deputy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to become the Governor of Bayelsa State in December 2005.
Chf. James Ibori also had similar experience of not being able to handle the "excess cash" that the 13% derivation brought. He was charged for financial impropriety, leading to his trial and subsequent conviction in a London court.
So the battle for the South South contingents for the PDP Presidential primaries was now narrowed to Govs. Odili, Attah and Duke.
The Governors expended huge state resources in their bid to clinch the party's presidential ticket. No one need to be told that Nigeria is a vary vast country and prosecuting Presidential election, even at the party primaries level, requires a very huge budget.
Though it was within their rights to run for political position, the argument that their election bids took a toll on their respective State resources cannot be wish away.
As events later played out, the PDP decided to ced their Presidential ticket to the North (North West) while the South (South South ) got the Vice Presidential slot.
Then ailing Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Musa Yar'dua later emerged the PDP's presidential candidate for the 2007 general elections. The rest like they say, is history.
Meanwhile, some school of thought had believed that Dr. Peter Odili then Governor of Rivers State was on the verge of carting away the VP slot but the powers that be feared that Dr. Odili is too sound, vibrant and knowledgeable and so cannot be controlled by the cabal. He was taunted as the Golden Governor of Rivers State.
Dr. Odili was later to face charges from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission-EFCC, which cost him the VP slot.
Though some political analyst have opined that the charges against Dr. Odili was a witch-hunt to get him out of the way. Whether or not, this was true, I may not know.
Meanwhile, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was still settling down in his 'nature given' new position as Governor of Bayelsa State. I want to believe that running for an elective position, not less a position as running mate to a presidential flag bearer of the PDP, the then ruling party and the largest political party in West Africa , as the PDP taunts itself, was the last on Dr. Jonathan's mind. But as ordained by divinity, Dr. Jonathan was picked to run with Yar'dua on a joint PDP ticket as Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates respectively.
Again the rest , after the election like it had been said , is now history.
The saying that ' man proposed but God disposed' clearly fits in to the then South South Governors presidential chase viz-a-viz the emergence of Dr. Jonathan as the eventual running mate, though not the Presidential candidate itself as sought by his fellow South South Governors.
Some one who never campaigned, lobbyed, consult or declared interest for a position, now became the 'choosen one' whereas those that actually consult , campaign, lobby and declare interest for the position, all lost out.
Indeed, when the Holy book said 'the battle is not for the strong nor the race for swift but time and chance happeneth to them all' , this was certainly one of such scenarios the bible had contemplated.
Almost 16 years after that rounds of election that threw up Yar'dua and Jonathan, we are now facing a similar scenario. South South Governors and presidential chase again.
Just like in the 2006/2007 election season, both Governors of Rivers and Akwa Ibom State are at the fore front again.
Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of Rivers State and Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State had both picked the PDP's Presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest forms. Though it was reported that some support groups paid for the nomination forms for the duo of Govs. Wike and Emmanuel.
To complete the trio as was the case in 2006, Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River State is rumoured to be interested in the Presidential ticket of his party, APC.
If Prof. Ayade finally makes true this rumour, then history would have finally repeated itself.
Again, will history also repeat itself if the trio of Govs. Wike, Emmanuel and Ayade will all lost their party's presidential ticket?
Will history also repeat itself if Governor Donye Diri of Bayelsa State, who just marked his second year as Governor, be picked to to run ?
Just like in the case of Dr. Jonathan, will someone who never cause a strom in the Presidential tea cup , be called upon to fly the flag?
Will history indeed repeat itself again?
Ponder on those questions !
Let me also ponder on them too
Happy Palm Sunday 👏
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