By Ntufam Francis Ntui
Another political season is here and with it comes shadowy characters, mercantile demagogues, hired goons and hack writers operating under fictitious identities trying to eke out a living from beleaguered politicians.
One Okon Effiom who authored a cocktail of incoherent verbiage against the APC senatorial candidate for Cross River South, Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr and was published on some social media platforms fits the above bill.
One would have ordinarily ignored his infantile but fallacious assertions but for the need to expose his utter ignorance and frustration.
Okon needs some education here. Contrary to Okon\’s jejune assertion, the APC as a party and not Asuquo Ekpenyong took Hon. Daniel Asuquo (Dansuki), the Labour Party senatorial candidate, to the court.
And that is the standard practice. When a party finds glaring illegalities in the electoral process it explores it to its advantage and this includes ligation.
So, why are Okon and the gang hysterical about a court case? Could it be that the judiciary is about to quicken somebody\’s retirement from the political scene?
On Asuquo Ekpenyong fighting the APC governorship candidate and the in-coming governor of our dear state, Prince (Senator) Bassey Edet Otu, Okon and his \”Oga\”, I dare say, reason from the fringes of uncoordinated thought.
It is quite inconceivable that Ekpenyong would stoke, directly or indirectly, any cause of action that could derail Prince Otu\’s candidacy when, in the event of such misfortune (God forbid), he stands to benefit absolutely nothing.
One can understand Hon. Daniel Asuquo\’s frustration and pains. It is not palatable for any politician to find himself in an inextricable quagmire as he currently finds himself but then, Daniel is the architect of his political woes.
Had he taken the advice of PDP Leaders and Elders, Daniel would have been in better stead politically right now.
For the records, Dansuki was offered the PDP Southern Senatorial ticket on a platter of gold as the consensus and unanimous candidate if only he would leave the party\’s governorship ticket to Senator Gershom Bassey to avoid splitting of delegate votes from Cross River South at the governorship primary.
He spurned this compromise at several meetings, he desperately went ahead to contest and in the process divided Southern votes paving the way for Senator Sandy Onoh\’s emergence.
After the disgraceful gubernatorial attempt and desperately aware that he cannot survive outside politics, Dan was hell-bent on getting back to the National Assembly no matter the cost, he desperately crawled back to the same PDP leaders to ask that Ekpo Okon be made to step down as the Senatorial candidate for him. A ticket he had repeatedly rejected.
Of course, it is against the law of natural justice that one goes back to his vomit or eats his cake and still has it, so PDP elders laughed him to scorn and rejected his selfish and desperate request.
When he was rebuffed by the PDP he ran to the APC leadership and tried to get them to substitute Asuquo Ekpenyong with him but he was completely rebuffed too.
After about a month of desperately begging the APC stakeholders to no avail, Daniel berthed in the Labour party and bought over the party with money.
Of course, being a fringe party in dire need of members and money, nobody can blame the Labour party for selling its Cross River South senatorial ticket to Dansuki. However, even things are still not looking bright for him in the party as there are feelers that its presidential candidate, His Excellency Peter Obi, known for his impeccable integrity, is not enamoured by Dansuki\’s candidacy having been briefed and shown incontrovertible and well documented evidence about his cultist and inglorious bloody past.
Obi has reportedly made it clear that he would not want to associate himself or his campaign with a lurid character such as Dansuki so as not to stain his credibility. The Labour Party has willingly and happily provided all the information, documentation and loopholes required to dissolve the fictitious substitution.
For the over 20 years of his political life Dansuki has been a beneficiary of ready-made political structures, is he really that insensitive and selfish as to think that a political party must always work for him? That the people are his slaves? It may just have been in his own long term interest to sit this cycle out with dignity after losing at the gubernatorial primaries. I hear he was offered the prime position of coordinating Cross River State for the APC presidential candidate but he could not fathom not personally being on the ballot. That smacks of extreme desperation to even the most casual onlooker.
While Ekpenyong has no interest whatsoever in Dansuki\’s political progression or retrogression, the Okons of this world who thrive on supplying false oxygen to the sagging political career of their paymasters must concentrate on doing what they are paid to do rather than dance naked in the market square with laughable permutations.
Indeed, it is glaringly clear to see who is the desperate candidate.
