Ita Benedict.
Ita Benedict, a media strategist, a two term Personal Assistant on Public Affairs and, Local Media to former Governor Godswill Akpabio and an indigene of Ibiono Ibom local government area spoke on the contentions around the zoning of chairmanship of Ibiono Ibom local government area. Benedict was an aspirant for the House of Assembly in the 2019 election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress and ran with the popular campaign theme, Afofon Ono Ibiono. In this interview with some journalists in Uyo, he spoke dispassionately about the clamour for zoning of the chairmanship in Ibiono Ibom. Abasifreke Effiong, Editor -In – Chief of The Dune was there. Excerpts.
Q: The debate for the chairmanship of Ibiono Ibom to move from the North to the South is very strong in view of the political forces behind such agitations. As an Ibiono Ibom son, what’s your take?
A: Ibiono Ibom where I come from is a very interesting political environment with very notable political figures. If you recall what Harold Laswell, an American political scientist and communication theorist said about politics, then you will understand the rationale for such contentions. Harold had defined politics simply as ‘who gets what, when and how’. So, you will agree with me that the contentions for North and South is about who gets what, when and how.
Mind you, this is not really about the masses of Ibiono Ibom, but the political elites. Because if you ask me, ‘who are the forces behind this agitation’? The communiques so far issued by both parties will lead you to see for yourself the gladiators. I repeat, it is not about the masses. It’s about interest; it’s about controlling the political sole of Ibiono at that tier of government.
Q: (Cuts -in) You have still not placed a finger on your take on this. I will like to know, who are these gladiators and what do you think is their interests?
A: Yes, I was coming to that. The political blocs on the issue of chairmanship in Ibiono Ibom as we speak revolve around two great sons of Ibiono Ibom. At the forefront of the chairmanship to be retained in Ibiono Ibom North is the the pioneer secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom state and political leader of PDP in the local government, Elder Ntieyong Inyangmme. And my brother and friend, the member representing Ibiono Ibom in the State House of Assembly, Obong Godwin Ekpo, is leading the front line for Ibiono Ibom South. The argument on the part of the proponents of the chairman to be retained in the North is that, the current House of Assembly member who is from Ibiono Ibom central served out his two terms as chairman of Ibiono Ibom local government. In fact it is argued further that if he includes his one year three months as transition committee chairman, you will realise that he has sat on that seat for seven years three months. While the camp led by the House member is arguing that Ibiono Ibom South is yet to produce a chairman since the local government was created, something like that.
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Q: (Cuts -in) Don’t you think, in view of what you’ve just said, that Ibiono Ibom South is right in her agitation and it will amount to further injustice denying the South opportunity to produce the chairman?
A: I agree with you. You know politics is a very interesting and intriguing game. The question I want to ask you is this, do you address injustice with injustice? Let me take you down memory lane so that you will realise what I meant when I said politics is an intriguing game. Mr Idorenyin Umoh, from Ibiono Ibom North, won election into the House of Assembly in 1999 to represent Ibiono Ibom state constituency and when he sought a return in 2003, he was denied on grounds of tenure. The consensus then was that there is no second term. In 2003, Engr Ignatius Edet, from the South, took over from Umoh, not only did he return in the second term as Speaker, he sought a third term. Barr Ime Okon, from the West who took over from Edet just left office in 2019 as a two term House of Assembly member. And my brother, the current House of Assembly member, Obong Godwin Ekpo, who is from Ibiono Ibom Central will likely seek a second term. Can you now see the politics of Ibiono Ibom where the North is always the victim of intrigues and power play?
Now coming back to the chairmanship, I gave you that foreground to understand the injustice the North has suffered in the politics of Ibiono Ibom. And, the same intrigue is trying to play out the same way it played out in the House of Assembly.
Come to think of it, leading voices from Southern Ibiono Ibom, notably, Engr Ignatius Edet, the former Speaker and currently, Honourary Special Adviser to Akwa Ibom State Governor, who is from Southern Ibiono Ibom, has canvassed strongly the position of his people that even though his zone is yet to produce a chairman, it will be unjust of the South to agitate for the chairman at the expense of the North completing her tenure. Going further, he has said that they will prefer a six years tenure of chairmanship, the same way as Central, hence their decision to allow the North do a second term. So, for whatever it is worth, I think that’s rational thinking.
Q: The Obong Godwin Ekpo’s camp is clinging to the 2016 zoning which ceded the chairmanship to Ibiono Ibom South. Does that zoning no longer hold water?
A: I will still have to take you back to Harold Laswell’s thought on politics, of ‘who gets what, when and how’. So you see, when politicians mastermind their interests-driven plot of who gets what, when and how; I am pretty sure they hardly predict the dynamic nature of politics and life. I can recall vividly a zoning meet called ‘Ididep declaration’, when the chairmanship of Ibiono Ibom was to go to Ibiono Ibom North, my friend and brother, the current House member, who was then a first term chairman, circumvented that zoning and ultimately emerged chairman against that zoning which had ceded the chairmanship to Ibiono Ibom North. And so when you talk about the 2016 zoning, I am tempted to argue that it is an undertaking by politicians to get what, when and how. So, the man who truncated the ‘Ididep declaration’ cannot be at the forefront of denying the North a second term in office when he served as a two term chairman of Ibiono Ibom local government.
Q: Beyond zoning, the issues against the current chairman are incompetence and other leadership failures that led councillors dragging him to the House of Assembly. In whose interest do you think he should still return as chairman?
A : (Laughs!) Let me start by answering you from the point of, ‘in whose interest’. I should rather ask, in whose interest was he made the chairman in the first instance?
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Q: (Cuts in.) I understand that those who made him chairman do not want him to return?
A : (Laughs!) Maybe that’s why they are pulling the zoning strings. Don’t mind me that was on a lighter note. But, let’s be more serious. Ibiono Ibom North has three wards comprising ward seven, eight and 11. It is the only zone in the entire Ibiono that has three wards. So if the current chairman is incompetent and has leadership issues, I think for political correctness and justice, they would have shopped other persons from the remaining two wards in the zone or even from ward seven where the current chairman comes from. Remember I said a while ago that when politicians sit down to mastermind plots in the name of zoning as to who gets power, when and how, I am sure they were unmindful of the dynamics of the future. As we speak, are you aware that the only political office, be it elected or appointed, that the North holds, is the chairmanship of Ibiono Ibom? Whereas the South keeps the Honourary Special Adviser to the Governor, vice chairman of the council, three Special Assistants to the Governor, and a state ex officio in the PDP. The East has a senator, a commissioner who just left office, board member of AKROIMA and one Special Assistant to the Governor. Ibiono Ibom West has a sitting commissioner, State Publicity Secretary of PDP, board member in Land Use Allocation, commissioner in Akwa Ibom State Civil Service Commission, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on youths, board member Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Wastes Management Agency and chairman technical committee on agriculture and food sufficiency. Lastly, Ibiono Ibom central where I come from has the current House of Assembly member, two Special Assistants to the Governor and a board member of Ibom Power Company.
So, when you take away the chairmanship, which is the only political office retained in the North, in the name of zoning, how will you stand that in the face of justice? So, it is only just to allow Ibiono Ibom North to complete her two terms in office as Ibiono Ibom local government chairman.
“As we speak, are you aware that the only political office, be it elected or appointed, that the North holds, is the chairmanship of Ibiono Ibom?”
Q : You are a member of the All Progressives Congress and you seem to betray a sense of interest in all of these happenings in the PDP in Ibiono Ibom. What’s your interest?
A : Yes, it’s true that as of today I am a member of the All Progressives Congress. All along I was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party until August 8, 2018. Don’t forget that, I sought to contest the Ibiono Ibom state constituency seat in the PDP which I consulted widely with the well- received brand of Afofon Ono Ibiono Ibom. And later became an aspirant in the All Progressives Congress in that election. So, I am vested with the operations of the two political parties. Most important in all of this is that, Ibiono Ibom is my primary interest and whoever is the chairman of my local government is not the chairman of one political group or one interest group; he is the chairman of the entire Ibiono Ibom. And, as the Late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, said about Nigeria, ‘because I am involved’, so in the politics of Ibiono Ibom, I am involved.
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