As the race for the 2023 general elections gather steam in Cross River State, in the last couple of hours, attention has shifted to Cross River Northern Senatorial district where state governor, Ben Ayade and incumbent senator of the district, Jarigbe Agom Jarigbo, are locking horns in a political battle with wide reaching political consequences that must be cleverly watched.
While there has recently been a suppressed but sustained arrest of persons suspected to be Jarigbe’s supporters, by people suspected to be agents of the state, Ayade’s open declaration in Ogoja, this past Saturday, during the flag-off of the APC campaign in the state, that the opposition was importing arms and militants from the Niger Delta to unleash mayhem in the state, boldly letters a dire situation.
These are his words: “We have credible information that the opposition have planned to import militants from the North Central and Niger Delta into Cross River State to unleash mayhem during the elections. We also have information that cache of arms have been discovered”
Again, to deeply allege that a large cache of firearms had been discovered buried ‘somewhere’, within or outside the state, for specific use during the elections, is spine chilling.
Undeniably, the veiled reference to Jarigbe as a “certain megalomaniac candidate” poised “to terrorize the people of Cross River Northern Senatorial district”, upped the ante and rustled the hornets’ nest.
Not to be outdone, Jarigbe fires back that, “the infantile approach of the Opposition, in trying to sow seeds of discord is very petty.” While word has been generously spread around that Jarigbe and the PDP’s gubernatorial candidate in the state, Sandy Onor, are presently enjoying a sour relationship, Jarigbe clears that doubt by saying that: “I have no issues with my colleague senator, the gubernatorial candidate of PDP and the governor of Cross River State, in-waiting, Sandy Onor. The APC should be the ones to worry, because the leader of their party is more concerned in putting all the available resources into his senatorial election, in Cross River North, to help his failed senate ambition, rather than assist his gubernatorial candidate and other candidates of the APC.”
If they ever was any doubt that Jarigbe enjoys the good company and support of Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, this particular jaw-jaw nudged Jarigbe into revealing that, “the leadership of the APC, headed by Gov. Ayade is so scared of Gov Wike’s support for me and trying their best to cause friction between us. We are not unaware of Ayade’s visit to Gov Wike, to solicit support against me. It was all over social media.”
SO!
Ben Ayade and his supporters have in their heads a political calculation that will see him become Senate President, if he returns to the Senate. It may be selfish and wishful thinking or even algebra mixed with mathematics, considering that beyond the choreographed achievements of his administration, ebulliently ferried in the media, they are too many governance delivery boxes that cannot be ticked right, on the ground.
Jarigbe Agom on the other hand, rode through attritous circumstances to become a senator. Those who have been shepherded to hate him, snidely refer to him as the “Supreme Court senator”, even though he has a mass appeal anchored on his clear, natural ability to give.
But politics is not pure science, where experiments are possible under a controlled environment in the laboratory. In the murky world of politics, Ayade can win this election, just like Jarigbe can win and return to the senate. How?
In the real sense of it, the people who will vote for Jarigbe are many, even more than the ones who will vote for Ayade. They will remember promises made and fulfilled, his total embrace of the rich and famous, the poor and the meek in heart. The firm and infirm, the righteous, unrighteous and the loquacious, will all hem in their votes.
In the real sense of it too, the people who will vote for Ayade are many. They will include the new ‘big men’, who have personal benefits visible in new cars, houses, clothes, journeys made to Jerusalem etc, and their hangers-on. His unending ‘private’ legion of political appointees and their followers, will cast their votes for him and they will also influence people in the hinterland who have recently seen these appointees travel to Calabar and return, wearing a suit; a vicious sign of life anew.
However, this election typically holds a make or mar situation for Ayade. Should he win, without even his bazaar of political appointments, he will increase his national visibility, complemented by his dexterous use of high sounding words, even if the meanings are mismatched. It will be another stage for showmanship and the display of in-tune dancing steps, to the applause of a hazy audience, left behind in the state to farm hunger. It does look more like he will be spending relaxed time in the red chambers without bothering to crank on the engines of those crested food bank vehicles.
Should he lose, the applause will pale into a slow tethering dirge and several feet will shift with speed. Those who swear today that Ayade is of Africa or add the “tutu-mkpong” sobriquet to Ayade, will saunter off like an impaled couple. Whether Sandy Onor or Prince Otu wins, NOT one of them will gladly put up with Ayade’s tenancy because they are really no imagined reasons why they should.
Jarigbe enjoys political goodwill, long cultivated on the ‘streets’ and cemented with the open heavens flow of that his SURE-P appointment. In his time at the House of Reps, he reached out to a retinue of people, in his constituency and outside his constituency. As a senator, he has reached out to more and shared his mite. Those who have chosen to now fight him, I hear, ate breakfast in his place, stepped out, hurriedly had lunch somewhere and hastily came back to stand up to him. They do not really hate him, they were commissioned to enlist in a paid-for hate scheme.
Should Jarigbe lose, Onor or Otu will reach out to him, in recognition of his political mass appeal and the inner strength he posses, he will be the bride with white cotton-touch lingerie, that everyone peeps at. There will be so much on offer for him by the new establishment because like it or not, he is an instrument of history, an inspirational tool set among us by his maker.
Finally!
Go get your personal voter’s card, that is the full meaning of PVC. It is the tool that will be used to make your choice loud…get this tool and point those who have fooled us out.
Iwara is a broadcaster and Editorial Lead, www.calitown.com
