Uwem Ita Etuk: And the zoning matter in the state BY PATRICK ANTIA

“As things unfold in the political scene and as we await eagerly the shape of things to come, no one is left in doubt that, Prince Uwem ita Etuk, whose ilk is rare and fast declining in the political terrain will long remain a reference point (Locus Clasicus) and the indisputable conscience of the PDP and politics in the State”

  

It is with a sense of relief, even nostalgia that I recall the event that I will recall below as published by a state based tabloid. Back then as a Member of the Federated Chapel of the Nigeria Union Of Journalists, NUJ, Akwa Ibom Chapter, I was on the delegation that paid a visit to the Peoples Democratic Party State Chairman, Hon. Prince Uwem Ita Etuk. Permit me to quote a newspaper report on the encounter. It was a position declaration on the then approaching 2011 Governorship race in the State. Prince Etuk said, “The party, on Tuesday, October 15, 2009, voted to zone the 2011 governorship ticket to Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District again and also zoned the 2015 governorship ticket to Eket Senatorial District.” 

Hon. Etuk who I knew far back as Head of Council (Ibesikpo Asutan), is a man who is known to be a stickler for whatever he believes is the truth. He is blunt, uncompromising and impossible to induce or intimidate out of his belief in a chosen path of truth. 

To be specific, Prince Etuk is known back home as the oracle, Apostle and custodian of zoning. He has never permitted his personal association or interest conflict with the rotation principle in Ibesikpo Asutan, even though he has controlled the political pendulum of the area for nearly a decade now. It is/was not surprising therefore, that he took the same principle to run the PDP in the State after he emerged as chairman.

In keeping with this stand as declared during the said courtesy call, prince Ita it will be recalled refused at the risk of sanction to sell forms to any aspirant who isn’t from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District. He stood his ground and steered the Party to deliver Gov. Godswill Akpabio for a second term against all odds, to serve Ikot Ekpene Senatorial Districts turn and damned some sentiments propagated by a section of the vocal Press. 

In the build up to the 2015 gubernatorial race, Prince Etuk now a cabinet member stuck his neck out and revisited the historic decision. This was at a time when even Angels feared to speak out on the issue, particularly because some powerful forces within and outside Government were actively promoting the Anti Zoning campaign. Again, let me return to the famous newspaper report on his disclosure to a team of newsmen who sought his opinion on the raging debate over zoning. 

“The then state chairman of PDP and now the Special Adviser, Bureau of Cooperative and Food Sufficiency, Prince Uwem Ita Etuk who informed journalists in Uyo of the decision of the party on Wednesday, September 16, 2009, stated that the PDP took the decision in the interest of peace, stability and party cohesion.

By zoning the governorship ticket to Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District in 2011 and Eket Senatorial District in 2015, the Uwem Ita Etuk-led SWC was simply giving life to the fact that politics requires that you come to an arrangement that will preserve the unity and peace in the state, and when people begin to ignore this, it becomes imperative that like - minded people should come together and explore ways of ensuring that fairness is guaranteed in political practice. Zoning of political offices is actually in the best interest of everybody in Akwa Ibom and given that we are a young democracy, it is the only thing that will actually give everybody a strong sense of belonging.

It would be recalled that the decision of the SWC of PDP was given prominence in the Midweek Pioneer of Wednesday, September 16, 2009. The state PDP boss said: 

“The PDP has therefore, in its wisdom, which is in line with the prevailing political understanding within the party zoned the governorship ticket to Akwa Ibom North West (Ikot Ekpene) Senatorial District again in 2011.

“At the end of Governor Godswill Akpabio’s second term in 2015, it will then be the turn of Akwa Ibom South (Eket) Senatorial District to produce the state Chief Executive Officer,” the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom stated at an enlarged State Working Committee (SWC) held at the party’s headquarters in Uyo on Tuesday, September 15, 2009.

There is no going back on the commitment of the party to ensure justice, equity and fairness by the PDP as far as the 2015 governorship race is concerned

The party has over the years instituted an organized succession process by ensuring that the zoning principle is enforced at all levels in the state. The report is reproduced here.

“The 2010 governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not an all comer’s affair as the party has zoned its gubernatorial ticket to Akwa Ibom North West (Ikot Ekpene) Senatorial District.

“This was the decision of the enlarged State Working Committee (SWC) of the PDP taken yesterday at a meeting in the party’s secretariat in Uyo.

“With the party’s decision, the usual noise and boisterous political atmosphere always associated with the governorship primary will not shape the 2011 gubernatorial race.

“Speaking in his calm response to an address presented by the chairman of the Federated Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Mr. Ernest Akpan who led other executive members of the chapel for a courtesy call on Prince Uwem Ita Etuk, Akwa Ibom chairman of PDP said emphatically that the gubernatorial ticket of the party has been zoned to the district in line with political understanding within the party. 

“Without mincing words, Prince Etuk who acknowledged the contributions of the local media to the emergence of the current administration during the governorship primary and 2007 general elections said that the PDP took the decision in the interest of peace, stability and party cohesion. “He said that Akwa Ibom North East (Uyo) having produced a two-term Chief Executive of the state was not eligible for the race in 2011.”

I couldn’t help but take you through such a long quote. Fact is, recent political developments in the State are anything but a pointer to the vindication of Prince Uwem Ita Etuk as a man who saw tomorrow and even at high personal and political risk put himself in the firing range insisting on truth, equity, fairness and justice.

To him,  danger therefore is that without delineating a clear and predictable system of giving constituent units of the state assurances that they are real stakeholders in the Akwa Ibom project, there could be tactical nurturing of purveyors of violence to help groups stake such ‘overwhelming claims’ to an entitlement.

We must not wait until any group initiates civil disobedience, or outright self determination before Akwa Ibom people address their real or genuine demand for justice in the Akwa Ibom polity. Let this status quo change. Let zoning and rotation be and let it be done based on the principle of equity, justice and fairness. Eket Senatorial District is eminently qualified from all angles to contest the Hilltop Mansion job in 2015

If, as widely expected, Eket Senatorial District gets their prayers and produce the next governor of the state, Prince Uwem Ita Etuk. Would have gone down as the Champion, Pathfinder, Defender and Architect of that goal. It is a credit to his statesmanship, virtue of patriotism and political sagacity that he remained unwavering against formidable forces that seek to truncate the cycle our democracy has somehow ingrained as a culture.

As things unfold in the political scene and as we await eagerly the shape of things to come, no one is left in doubt that, Prince Uwem ita Etuk, whose ilk is rare and fast declining in the political terrain will long remain a reference point (Locus Clasicus) and the indisputable conscience of the PDP and politics in the State.

He has consistently told his followers to remain focused, unflinching and keep their eyes on the ball, insisting that, when the chips are down, power will shift to Eket Senatorial District. We can only hail this man and Pillar of truth and say, Hon. Prince Uwem Ita Etuk, please take a bow!