By Patrick Obia
The member representing Bekwarra/Obudu/Obanliku Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Honorable Peter Akpanke has replied to Martins Orim – former Chief of Staff to former Governor Ben Ayade, saying he is a “merchant of lies”.
Honorable Orim had in a ‘thank you tour’ of Honorable Legor Idagbor in Bekwarra Local Government Area, accused Akpanke of trying to commandeer Legor’s solar street light project; a statement that got Peter fumed.
In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Awade Friday described the former Ayade appointee’s assertions as “ignorance, falsehoods and half-truths that were sold” out to him.
Akpanke said: “Though Hon. Orim was a critical actor in the last administration in the State which did everything to institutionalize lying as a culture, he should realize that the current leaders are working hard to restore honor and dignity to public office. His tongue needs to be born again so that he doesn’t always remind us of that inglorious era in which truth became a rare commodity. Martin Orim should know that he can fool some of the people all the time and all of the people some of the time, but he cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”
The statement reads in part: “The attention of Chief Hon. Peter Akpanke Media Team has been drawn to the falsehoods and half-truths that were sold by Hon. Martin Orim when Rt. Hon. Legor Idagbo took his “Thank You” visit to Bekwarra LGA. Though George Orwell’s assertion that “in the time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act”, would have advised us to ignore a well-known merchant of lies, it is important to set the records straight.
“In doing so, we begin by asking Orim to learn to speak with facts if he wants to be taken seriously. It’s not enough to say that a certain representative told a certain contractor to advertise him as the facilitator of the solar lights that are to be installed in Bekwarra. We challenge him to attach names to these spurious fabrications. Having said this, let us educate him for free that government at all levels is a continuum, and the office of the House of Representatives and that of a Local Government Councillor are completely different despite the fact that their occupants are both addressed as Honourable.
“His claim that it’s only at the state level that projects are inherited from a previous administration also shows his huge ignorance of the workings of other tiers and organs of government. He may wish to know that Rt. Hon. Idagbo had signed up the projects of Rt. Hon. Frank Adah in 2015. It goes without saying that the current members of the National Assembly will sign up for the projects of their predecessors. The fact that the projects belong to the Constituency and not its individual representative should not be too difficult for him to understand. Our principal is liaising with the various agencies, departments, and ministries in Abuja to ensure that all ongoing projects in our Federal Constituency are completed to specifications.
“Though Hon. Orim was a critical actor in the last administration in the state which did everything to institutionalize lying as a culture, he should realize that the current leaders are working hard to restore honor and dignity to public office. His tongue needs to be born again so that he doesn’t always remind us of that inglorious era in which truth became a rare commodity. Martin Orim should know that he can fool some people all the time and all of the people some of the time, but he cannot fool all of the people all of the time. The good deeds and work of charity of our principal which he is struggling to emulate will continue to speak for him. Unceasing attempts to demarket him will continue to produce the opposite effect as we all witnessed in his landslide victory in the last election. Chief Hon. Akpanke is God’s project and there is no need to waste one’s time to blackmail him.
“Hon. Orim also goofed when instead of apologizing for the pain and anxiety he unleashed on our people during the last election, he chose to tell them how shocked he was and has indeed remained when the will of the electorates prevailed. Orim should realize that it’s expected of a Democrat not to live in shock and bitterness at the result of a free, fair, transparent, and credible election all the days of his life. The earlier he internalizes Abraham Lincoln’s assertion that “Elections belong to the people and it’s their decision” to make, the better for him.
“Orim’s speech is a confirmation of the common saying that he is morally and emotionally unfit to lead a people in need of unity and development. We advise him to wake up from his wild dream that deceit and lies will take him to the National Assembly. Let him repent and draw closer to God who gives power to whoever He wills. Lies only expose his ineptitude and caprices.
“Anyone who is well-informed, acquainted, and conversant with the present happenings in the National Assembly and OBO, in particular, will know that Chief Hon. Peter Akpanke hit the ground running; he is doing everything to raise the standard of representation and we all need to give him the needed support. A member of parliament who within a month conducted a needs assessment, visited all abandoned and ongoing projects in his Constituency, and moved a motion that the Obudu Dam Resort should be resuscitated needs commendation, not blackmail. The restlessness with which he moves from agency to agency, from department to department, and from ministry to ministry is a testament that OBO will soon wear a new face.
“We wish to appeal to the good people of OBO Federal Constituency to collectively join hands with our member of parliament in his determination to deliver the dividends of democracy.”