John Webster (c.1580-c. 1632), English dramatist, said: “A politician imitates the devil, as the devil imitates a Cannon; wheresoever he comes to do mischief, he comes with his backside towards you.”
Many years ago, a man called Jesus decided to his choose his disciples. He carefully selected 12 men, with whom he traversed the length and breadth of Jerusalem, preaching the gospel of repentance from sin and emancipation from evil works.
Every one of the disciples had special roles depending on their individual competences and level of spiritual endowments.
They were knit in love and fellowship until one of them began to mix up with negative influences among the opposition Jews. He began to withdraw himself from the fellowship of brethren, until iniquity was found in him.
He knew that the Jews were sworn enemies of his master and that they would gladly like to work with him to destroy his master since he knew the itinerary of his master. He was paid 30 pieces of silver for that hatchet-man’s job.
The allure of money and new-found love with the ruling class beclouded his sense of reasoning. The rest, as they say, is history.
By the same token, the conspirators who plotted and murdered Julius Caesar accused him of elevating himself above every other Roman citizen. Even his most trusted ally, Brutus, bought into that allegation.
The personality of needs no introduction in Nigeria. Since 2002, Akpabio has been a notable figure in the nation’s political space. Unlike many politicians who have no history or they are fly-by-night politicians, Akpabio began his robust political journey in the days of Governor Victor Attah.
Again, unlike some state governors that were not vibrant as a result of the poor financial stand of their states, Akpabio was all over the place. He moved with swagger and dared men and demons because of the huge allocation his state was taking delivery of on a monthly basis.
He was a voice to reckon with and influenced many decisions in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
While in PDP as governor of Akwa Ibom State for eight years, he made the political atmosphere hot for the opposition. He forced those who did not believe in his style of leadership to run for hiding in a budding opposition party in the state at the time- All Progressives Congress (APC). His usual refrain at the time was that Akwa Ibom is a PDP state and would remain so.
In the early days of his election as the Minority Leader in the Senate, Akpabio was vibrant; breathing down on APC on national issues, but suddenly, his voice got drowned and many Nigerians, who had built a measure of hope and confidence around him, began to wonder what must have gone amiss.
No one knew he had been cowed; he had started to dine and wine secretly with “enemies” of his party and he wanted it to remain a “Nicodemus” affair. He started following PDP afar.
True to the words of Christ that there is nothing hidden that cannot be revealed, Akpabio’s “monkey” movements eventually came into the open. He began to openly visit those he had bad-mouthed and denigrated. He spent a fortune to fly himself to London to meet with holidaying President Muhammadu Buhari to plead forgiveness for all the insults he had heaped on him and on the party, and pledged to be of good behaviour going forward.
Unconfirmed reports said he went to see the President to ask that his name be cleaned off the records of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC). Same reports said that the EFCC has so many incriminating evidences of malfeasance against Akpabio and that it was on that basis he surrendered.
Akpabio also went on a “forgive me” visit to the National Leader of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Abuja.
Some analysts even said that the defection to the APC was mere acting, that at the fulness of time-towards the elections – he would return to the PDP.
But the most stunning of his actions, according to observers, were his utterances that have been described by many as “lying with his teeth”!
Like the devil that turns his back when he wants to do a mischief; the former governor of Akwa Ibom, said that the “PDP” of today had no vision and the leadership was replete with arrogance.”
He further said: “The country is at war and all the hands must be on deck to salvage the situation and not to aggravate it.
“As keepers of national emergency, everyone should put heads together. I decide to join to emancipate the people and provide succour for the people.”
But an indigene of Akwa Ibom, Cletus Okon took exception to Akpabio’s words, saying that the former Senate minority leader was economical with the truth.
“If I may ask Akpabio, who are those who put the country at war: is it not the APC; so, how can a sensible man join those who stoke war to put it off?
Akpabio talked about ‘emancipating the people and providing for the people,’ look at who is talking. A man that left Akwa Ibom as a governor and wanted to finish the state with the impossible severance package for himself and the pension he instituted for himself, including mansions to be built for him. Who does not know Akpabio!
“The truth of the matter is that the current governor of the state is not ready to be his rubber stamp; he has seen that he can no longer controls the state from Abuja and the heat is on him, he decided to run to the enemy’s camp for protection,” Okon said.
He further slammed Akpabio, saying that a man who claims to “provide succour for the people,” instigated the Federal Government “to freeze the accounts of his state government just for selfish ends. Does that add up?”
Akpabio had also alleged that there was no reward system in the party. He referred to the decision of the party leadership at the PDP NEC meeting recently to announce Bukola Saraki as the national leader of the party as one of the things that incensed him.
“My colleague, the Senate president who unfortunately was one of those who joined to destroy the PDP in 2015 just attended the NEC meeting and out of excitement, the same national chairman rolled out the drums and announced him National Leader of the party,” Akpabio said.
According to him: “Having been the Senate minority leader, and by implication the chairman of the PDP caucus in the National Assembly, I thought there was no more room for me, since we now have a National Leader who has just defected.”
But Okon replied, saying, “Cogent as his observation is, it must be understood that Akapbio had completed all the processes of his defection before the NEC meeting he referred to; so the events of that day could not have, in any way, been the cause of his exit.”
Many observers have wondered why Akpabio, who owns all his political positions and accolades to the PDP, would turn around to bite that finger that fed him.
Between 2002 and 2006, he served as commissioner in three key ministries in his state: Petroleum and Natural Resources, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs as well as Lands and Housing under Governor Victor Attah.
In 2013, he was elected chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum. Under PDP platform, he won election to represent the Akwa Ibom North West (Ikot Ekpene) Senatorial District and was also nominated for the position of the Senate Minority Leader by the South-South caucus of the PDP which was also ratified by the PDP caucus in the Senate, a position he resigned last Tuesday to join the APC.
Many observers are shocked what could make a man who has enjoyed all these privileges on one platform in a country of nearly 200 million people become so aggrieved that he decided to paint that same party in black just to be accepted in his new party. It is still unclear if Akpabio’s usual slogan “let God’s will be done” was actually allowed to rule his decision at this point in time.
Pundits also said that it was bewildering that Akpabio watched admiringly as Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the APC, “stylishly” abused him and the PDP for stealing the country dry in its 16 years of occupation of power stool. In all of these years, Akpabio played prominent roles in the party.
Zebulon Agomuo
