Governor Otu wields little influence in Abuja – he should make gaining inroads into Abuja his primary 1st term political strategy.
In the past 48 hrs, I’ve stumbled on coordinated sponsored attacks on his person and works from several quarters. Even some political butterflies who think they’re Eagles have joined the fray. It’s disappointing and ironic that the organic, healthy collaboration in rolling out developmental capital projects, which has been between the Senator and the Governor in the last 11 months, is what is provoking this wave of sponsored attacks.
I was in Calabar this week and was impressed by the progress made on the numerous projects initiated by the Governor and the Senator. I’m sure that I’m speaking the mind of every progressive. Some political jobbers have turned this on its head and are trying to make it look like Senator Suki competes with the Governor. I understand it’s the battle for his seat in 2027 that has caused them to toe this path. A couple of them are political dinosaurs that have been in the picture since 1999 with little or nothing to show in terms of the development of the people, the politics, and the society.
I’d advise the Senator not to relent in doing the good things he has been doing. On the flip side, he shouldn’t hesitate to bare his fangs and bite very hard when it becomes necessary. You’re a political heavyweight (home and especially Abuja) so throw your weight around as and when due! I have also just read the trash written by someone about how former Cross River State governors replaced Senators with ease. Why didn’t the mischievous bloke talk about how Ayade tried to replace Senator Jarigbe with himself just last year and ended up with political burns all over his body?
I last met him (Sen. ‘Suki’) two years ago in Calabar. I was on the phone with an agency DG under Ayade and he invited me to come over for a sitout. I got there and saw Suki (then Finance Commissioner) and Eric Anderson (then Tourism Commissioner). I’d just given Eric some hard knocks online earlier that day, so I was shocked he was there and my DG friend hadn’t pre-informed me. We got talking and Eric tried to tell me his side of the story – I remember Suki playfully telling him that they should instead, take me to a corner of a nearby fence and give me some light beating for always looking for trouble online. On that night, one of the ring leaders of the media assault on Suki today was standing beside him, taking orders, running errands, and bowing up and down. Judas Iscariot tendencies are everywhere in Cross River State politics! And that’s why I said above that some people are butterflies but think they’re now birds due to association. They should stop playing lest they learn the hard way!
That said, Governor Otu should be very careful as he seems to have surrounded himself with some power-hungry associates; associates that he doesn’t seem able to put in check. People are making him pick unnecessary fights. He has been fighting Ayade by proxy for some time now, together with Suki and some other National Assembly members. This should be a strategy kept for your 2nd term if at all! Governor Otu wields little influence in Abuja – he should make gaining inroads into Abuja his primary 1st term political strategy.
Simon Utsu is a Cross Riverian and writes from Lagos.
NB: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Simon Utsu, and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.