By Richmond Benjamin
Despite the lies and blackmail, a dubious strategy recently employed by the opposition against Senator Albert Bassey (OBA), his reputation, popularity and rating soar everyday like an eagle. Clearly, the enemies are failing, because that can’t demonise the people’s preferred!
Blackmail and propaganda are crooked schemes usually deployed as weapons of political warfare by threatened oppressors mostly in the ruling leadership class. During elections, dubious politicians use them to skew opinions and suppress the acceptability rating of aspirants popularly embraced by the masses.
In recent times, there have been unjustified attempts to dissuade the people from appreciating OBA’s positive and remarkable achievements, as well as his sterling leadership qualities.
The negative minds are obviously afraid that with OBA’s overwhelming qualities and outstanding achievements, experience and competence, they stand no chance in the run up to the 2023 election. Sadly, rather than deal with issues, points and facts, they rather adopt a debased tactics of trying to discredit OBA’s personality. But as usual, as God lives, they continue to fail!
Yes, as much as they try, they have not not and cannot erase OBA’s worthy footprints already imprinted in the sands of history. Except a few unsuspecting and vulnerable ones, informed electorate rather look at the records of his tangible achievements and keep shunning some “least qualified” aspirants with obviously lesser value.
OBA is the best aspirant across all the political parties, as far as the forthcoming governorship election is concerned. He has solid practical experience in both private and public sectors. His has unparalleled pedigree in public funds management, as the longest serving one-time commissioner of Finance. Here’s a man who left a remarkable banking career as a top level manager, specifically vice president of FCMB. So handling budgetary appropriation and federal allocations as well as how to excellently implement programmes to stimulate economic growth, physical development and citizens’ welfare should be considered a done deal under his supervisor as the state governor.
So you are right to believe that the economy would be robust, welfaristic and OBA’s political leadership people-centric, thereby bringing massive dividends of good governance to citizens.
He won't be like some boastful supposed Harvard ex-students and suspected owners of banks, who sadly mismanaged the people’s commonwealth, spreading hunger and poverty to bite the citizens with impunity.
As of today, Akwa Ibom state needs help. Indeed, the desire for redemption and restoration to the lost glory has been on the increase. Already, there is a gradual collapse of infrastructure, making nonsense of the positive global attention attracted to the state by the previous administration of Godswill Akpabio, through uncommon transformation.
Today, pretentious attempts at roads construction end in substandard or abandoned death traps. The state of infrastructural decay is critical and demoralizing, very shameful for the state that receives the highest federal allocation. Yet, while the state keeps burning, the government plays games with the people’s resources, betting in one national political game after another.
Yet, there is hope in the offing, as OBA has vowed to turn the situation around for good, when he assumes office as governor, next year. OBA will complete abandoned projects and upgrade the bad ones, as well as maintain the good ones done by his predecessor. OBA bases his commitment to completing unfinished works on the grounds that they were initiated with the people’s money and must be completed for the benefit of all.
Senator Akpan also sees government as a revolving wheel, turning round to give the deserved benefits to the people.
As a politician, he is very understanding, accommodating, forgiving and tolerant. Therefore, those who for whatever reasons or purposes think he would be vindictive to those who hurt him should nurse no such fear of payback. As a devout Christian, not a "political one", there is no room in the lawmaker's heart for such mischief. For, a truly progressive leader bears no burden of hate and vindictiveness.
For instance, even now, OBA still pays school fees for the children of some who betrayed him. Some of the wet blankets have remorsefully returned to OBA fold, admitting that with the senator, they fare better than with those who only use them to attack OBA, then dump them afterwards.
Ahead of 2023 elections, therefore, the masses must be careful not to miss the opportunity of boarding a dependable vehicle that is on course to rescue Akwa Ibom people. A new movement is coming, a positive revolution that will change the lives of the people for good. Soon, the train will leave the station on its journey to the land of fulfilment. OBA will be hour new dependable driver. Ignore the blackmailers and purveyors of lies; jump into the people-centric train on a journey to a sure destination in 2023.
