by crossriverwatch admin
Hitherto, doing politics in Cross River witnessed healthy rivalry where gladiators proved their popularity or political sagacity by emerging as candidates of their respective parties.
This stage of course involved rivalry within the same party from where it was taken to the stage of external rivalry which involved opposing parties. Whereas different political strategies, antics or campaigns were employed to ensure victory at the polls, the centre of all attraction remained the people who control the mandate politicians rigorously seek.
And they tend to do everything within and beyond their powers to corner the peoples’ votes not minding even if their own ox is gored in the process. What remained paramount to them was getting to the aspired destination. Some are even blinded by their ambitions while others don’t give a damn about how they get there, but must get there at all cost.
Arguably, political aspirants who employ unwholesome means or strategies to win elections or sway popularity are usually not popular or the least popular. So, very often than should not, they left snags on their trails because their patterns or approaches are characterized by flaws and wrong calculations; lies, sycophancy and blackmail.
This kind of aspirants are usually surrounded by political jobbers, praise singers and sycophants who help to instill false confidence even when the principal is well convinced in the heart that the base is faulty, the machination is warped, but because these fellows are there for what they can get especially if the principal has some bucks to bastardize their minds and make them reason from their pockets leaving their heads clowned, they will do everything to sustain the cash flow.
So they become desperate and make the principal so. Deceit and self-deception become the inevitable and they must continue until the reality becomes apparent that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. So they will always say…,’we must fight till the end… the party belongs to all of us… the people will decide’. But how popular they are before the people that will decide leaves much to be desired.
Although politicians are generally believed to tell blatant lies but it remains to be proven if all politicians come from that same stock. At last check, Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (7th Edition) views ‘desperate’ thus: ‘feeling or showing that you have little hope and are willing to do anything without worrying about dangers to yourself or others’ and by implication, this makes a ‘desperado’ a person who does dangerous and criminal things without caring about himself or other people.
‘Desperado Politicians’ is one trend that has seemingly surfaced in Cross River Politics today. We now have an adulterated group of politicians who have introduced another dimension to the game. As dangerous as it seems, it leaves them ignorant about the repercussions as in their desperate but myopic moves, they tend to expose their political ineptitude, making themselves victims of their sinister maneuvers that takes away whatever was left of their integrity if any, in the eyes of the people.
This new development in Cross River Politics was visible in publications on page A4 of the Vanguard and page 59 of The Nation Newspapers respectively of Thursday, July 10, 2014 through a cartoon illustration sponsored by a faceless imaginary group, “NTUFAM FIDELIS UGBO MOVEMENT AGAINST THIRD SLAVERY (NFUMATS)” and was signed by one UCHUA MACHENRY ADAH with a singular purpose of blackmailing the characters and persons of Senator Liyel Imoke and Ntufam Fidelis Ugbo while causing disaffection among the people.
This calculated attempt to demonise Ntufam Fidelis Ugbo who is perceived in many quarters as a major contender and the most popular in the race to the Cross River State Government House in 2015, is only but a cheap blackmail which no enlightened Cross River person who has been following the political developments in the state would fall for; Cross River people even down to the rural areas are more politically informed than ever, so no amount of lies or blackmail can fool them.
From Obanliku to Bakassi, men, women and children are very much aware of the fact that the Governorship of Cross River in 2015 has been zoned to the Northern Senatorial District and therefore putting to rest the daunting speculations about the purported Three Wise Men accord involving Former Governor Duke, Senator Liyel Imoke and Chief Gershom Bassey, which the shameful Vanguard and Nation Publications attempted to exhume or portray while linking Fidelis Ugbo to it through the invented masquerade -Sponsored group ‘Ntufam Fidelis Ugbo Movement Against Third Slavery (NFUMATS)’.
It takes a totally ignorant person from Cross River or a total stranger if not mischievous, perhaps from another Planet to begin to insinuate at this stage of our political standing, that Governor Imoke intends to handover to Chief Gershom Bassey in 2015; even when the Governor alongside the PDP Leadership of the state had officially zoned the Governorship to the Northern part of the state.
But the target of this damaging publication is Ntufam Fidelis Ugbo who they fear has enormous capacity to thwart their mission or whatever ambition they have; and His Excellency the Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke whose goodwill and image they are trying to dent by portraying him as a liar.
Hence, the resort to sponsoring such a miserable advertisement in two national dailies aimed at discrediting the image of the governor and that of Fidelis Ugbo. More so with the intention of causing disaffection in hearts of Cross River people. But the people are far wiser.
No amount of blackmail, however damaging they seem, can destroy Imoke’s goodwill before his people because they hold him dearly in their hearts. And like Imoke – like Ugbo, they put their names above wealth. Strong moral character means so much to them and this, not even politics can make them compromise.
Ntufam Ugbo on the contrary, did not need to refute that publication because even a lunatic from Cross River knows who he is and what he represents – Integrity, and will not hesitate to dismiss such malicious publication with whoever the masquerade- sponsor (s) claims to be – Desperado Politicians, we are wiser.
Azogor is the chief press secretary to Abi LGA Chairman and wrote in from Abi
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