BETWEEN ASSAM ASSAM AND UDOM EMMANUEL

I have raised my voice against public office holders coming to social media to wash their dirty linen but all have fallen on deaf ears as some uses social media to launch their political relevance while others uses it to pull down their opponents. Today, in Akwa Ibom State, it seems an average governorship aspirants is conversant with the use of facebook to either promote themselves or launch offensive on their opponents without considering the after effect of such fruitless venture. You will find below the exchanges between Nigeria Ambassador to Russia, Chief Assam Assam, SAN and the present Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government, Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel through one of his media aides, Barr. Aniekeme Finbarr.

Excerpts below:

LETTER FROM CHIEF ASSAM ASSAM, SAN, EDE URUA, EKET, AKWA IBOM STATE.

July 22, 2014

Elder Udom G. Emmanuel
Secretary to Government of
Akwa Ibom State
Governor’s Office
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

My dear Elder,

THREAT, BY GOVERNOR GODSWILL AKPABIO, TO ASSASSINATE YOUR POLITICAL OPPONENTS.

I heard the blood curdling story (reported in every Nigerian Newspaper in print and on-line, including the Punch newspaper of Thursday the 19th of July 2014 at page 19) of the decision of Governor Akpabio, CON, to
assassinate all of us who want to contest the 2015 Governorship elections against you, his anointed political candidate and presumed successor. I could have addressed this letter to him but find it unnecessary in the belief that as the would be beneficiary of the political assassinations which Governor Akpabio has promised to unleash on the State, you are in the best position to persuade him not to kill us, on your behalf, just for exercising our rights under the Nigerian Constitution.

I take this option because Akpabio is not joking. The word of the Governor is the word of the Pope ex-Cathedra and cannot be taken lightly. As the head of a Government, whose primary responsibility ought to be the protection of lives and property of its citizens, when he threatens the elite political class with death, he gives us clear notice of what he intends to do. He has the ability, determination, willingness, persuasion and experience to
carry out his decision. After all, he enjoys immunity from prosecution.

You must be aware of the politically motivated murders in Akwa Ibom State, under the leadership of Governor
Akpabio, which have remained unresolved to date. Under the circumstance only a fool would take the undertaking
by the Governor, to kill more politicians as a mere gaffe.

The assassination of a few of us who have dared to indicate interest in the race, even before it begins, may not be the most difficult thing for a man who found the presence of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party the most convenient occasion to make the declaration.

One thing I can guarantee you is that whoever is killed in your name will certainly leave a trail of revenge killings
which the dead may be unable to end. The consequences of such an act could also spell doom for you and your family but will surely never make you Governor. As an Elder of the Church, you know the futility of such an act.

No man becomes King unless the Almighty God proclaims him. Herod killed thousands of male children in Israel, yet Herod could neither impose himself nor his protégée. How then will Governor Akpabio’s decision to impose you succeed, by killing your opponents and how will the killing of political opponents ever stop if you succeed him?

And who are those he wants dead? Citizens of Akwa Ibom State of your ethnic stock, fathers and husbands, those who worked, campaigned and spent their time and money for him to become Governor, those who salvaged his Government and laundered his image, those who stood by him when he was wearing the garment of cultists, those who gave him hope when he was hopeless, those who faced the difficult times with him, and my
dear brother, you were not there. If you have to harvest what you did not sow, why kill the owners of the farm like the owners of the house, the only ones entitled to enter the house through the back door? I do not share the view that you are such a bad candidate who cannot win an election unless all your opponents are dead. The point is however moot, that as a politician under the aegis and shadows of Godswill Akpabio, you seem to live by his tenets, sharing his vision, not having yours, adopting his character and abandoning yours, and accepting his aspiration as yours. If you ever intended on your own to contest election for Governor, you would have been your own man. I have had an occasion to tell you on telephone that you have inherited the sludge of Godswill Akpabio's political personality by accepting to contest the elections as his protégée. It seems, you are stuck with him and have to ride out the storm in that dingy boat and take responsibility for his actions, in the understanding that whatever he does to us, your opponents, is for your benefit. In other words whatever you are doing is through Godswill Akpabio.

I wish you well. You must know that the entire Country’s political class now knows why Governor Akpabio would
kill to put you in office. I wish you could be the man that you are, step out of Akpabio’s shadow, contest the
primaries as your own man, denounce this evil plan publicly now and distance yourself from it, perchance it
happens. Seek for a transparent contest and let us meet at the congress. This is the only way to assure the people that you are not a part of the scheme and would want no benefit from it.

Speaking for myself, I can assure you that no threat can deter me from the pursuit of a goal I have set for myself
and no coercion can force me out of a match. I will use this forum to warn other aspirants to treat Governor Akpabio’s threat with the seriousness it deserves. We cannot cower before him just to make you Governor, otherwise we would have fertilized the grounds for the next dictator in Akwa Ibom.

Since he has put me on notice of his intention to assassinate me, to make you Governor through the front door, I have taken certain precautions in the hope that we will not get there, if you can persuade him. If you can’t persuade him, I will be waiting for you at the rear door, as the owner of the house, should you want to use the owner’s entrance.

As always, please accept my best and sincere regards.

Chief Assam E. Assam, SAN

ASSAM ASSAM: THE BURDEN OF A DROWNING POLITICIAN 

By Aniekeme Finbarr

Chief Assam Ekanem Assam SAN is a study in political inconsistency. His condition has become very peculiar that even his good morning greetings require the receiver’s verification before reply. But since he is an intelligent man, a lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, there are still a few unsuspecting members of the public who are tempted to take him seriously when he puts his fingers on the keyboard to write a petition and or an open letter.

His recent letter addressed to the Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government, Mr Udom Emmanuel dated July 22, 2014 is one of his typical stunts culled from his old bag of political tricks. But since we are all students of history, we are obliged to cast our minds back and learn from the experiences of yesterday.

I recall in 2006, there was a paid advertorial by Chief Assam Assam in the Newswatch magazine published on March 20, 2006, therein, he raised allegations and a filed complaints to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) about the corruption in Obong Victor Attah’s government. It was the greatest individual media attack on the then governor. But since the petition was ill conceived, there were lots of inconsistencies in it. Interestingly, a list of contracts were enumerated by Chief Assam as having been awarded by Obong Attah’s administration.

Aniekeme Finbarr

In itemising the contracts, Chief Assam knowingly or inadvertently failed to include crucial contracts his chambers received also from the same government. A latter advertorial published in THE PIONEER Newspaper of Monday, 27th March 2006 however did. I chose to reproduce it here “We are in possession of an incontrovertible evidence to show that on 30th April 2004, Chief Assam Assam of the Lex Fori Partners (his law firm at 47 Ekpo Abasi Street, Calabar, Cross River State) COLLECTED the sum of N5 million from the Akwa Ibom State Government in connection with Suit No. SC/124/97 – Cross River State Vs. Federal Government of Nigeria and Akwa Ibom State . Also, on the 22nd March 2005 , just about a year ago, Chief Assam Assam had COLLECTED N10 million from the Government of Akwa Ibom State for Suit No. SC/124/99 and SC/28/2004.

Much earlier in the same month of March, ( 16th March, 2005 ) the same Assam had COLLECTED N15 million from the State Government for Suit No. HU/83/2005 (Attorney General of Akwa Ibom State Vs. Continental Trust Bank Limited). Much later, on 1st June, 2005, about nine months ago, the same Assam still COLLECTED from the same Akwa Ibom State Government, N40 million for Suit No. SC/12/124/99 – Attorney General of Cross River State Vs. Attorney General of the Federation and Attorney General of Akwa Ibom State . Chief Assam Assam, as far as we know, has so far COLLECTED N70 million from the Akwa Ibom State Government; within three months alone (last year) he collected N65 million. Except to say that we are privy to the fact that part of the above stated amount is what Chief Assam Assam dishonourably COLLECTED from the state government without fulfilling his part of the agreement of getting vital legal documents from the International Court of Justice in the Hague to advance Akwa Ibom interest, we are not bothered about how much money he acquired through the Government of Akwa Ibom State.

Our concern is simple. And it is encapsulated in the following questions; Assam Assam sees contracts awarded to several companies, both foreign and indigenous, as being a conduit pipe for Governor Victor Attah to siphon public funds. Was his own an exceptional case or what? Or was he part of the conduit pipe? Was the financial patronage he received from Attah’s Administration not inflated like all the others he has mentioned, because it’s him – CHIEF ASSAM ASSAM – that was involved? A leopard, they say, never changes his spots. The people can never be deceived. Assam Assam, this is your life!”. Of course, Chief Assam’s motivation to write that petition was his anger that having crossed over from the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he had expected a slot (maybe in form of an appointment) in the state government and since that wasn’t forthcoming, the learned Senior Advocate grabbed his pen and went to work.

To the present administration, despite his obvious opposition to the emergence of Chief Godswill Akpabio, the Governor still co-opted him to serve in his administration as Honorary Special Adviser and later Attorney General and Commissioner For Justice. As long as the going was good, Chief spoke glowingly of the government. He was further recommended by Chief Godswill Akpabio to Mr President for the ambassadorial job to Russia and the Belarus, which he gladly took. And since Chief Assam Assam is never satisfied, he nursed a governorship ambition and expected the governor’s support and when that wasn’t forthcoming, the learned Senior Advocate once again raised a false alarm claiming that Governor Akpabio engineered his being appointed an Ambassador in order to take him out of the Akwa Ibom polity and checkmate his gubernatorial ambition. He even made an assertion that Akpabio sent him to Russia as a punishment. Was he forced to the Senate Chambers and the security agencies for clearance? Did he honestly pay his way his way to Abuja and lobbied to be cleared so he could embark on this punishment?

Interestingly, an ambassadorial position is not jail – he could have turned it down and the heavens would not have fallen. A thousand and one persons would willingly have taken his place. He took it willingly without any coercion and celebrated it. He thanked Governor Akpabio effusively before setting out to Russia – one of the most important countries in the world. I was the Master of Ceremonies at Sheraton, Abuja that night when Senator Ita Enang organised a reception dinner to congratulate his new ambassador friends on their appointments. I remember Chief Assam spoke last of them all. I adjusted the microphone stood a step beside him. It was one of my best dinners on the microphone. I couldn’t forget it. I remember the glow in his voice, his praises on Governor Akpabio and President Jonathan. His excitement to go to cold Russia and his promise to buy Ambassador Ojo Maduekwe a bicycle to take to Canada. But little did I know, the learned Senior Advocate was on his way to be severely “punished”. A renowned advocate that discovers that he was being punished, yet decides to submit himself to the punishment, leaves a lot of vulnerable ones like us in a dilemma of confusion. Obviously, Chief Assam’s initial salvo did not attract the level of attention he needed, therefore, he chosed to write an open letter to the SSG, an outstandingly favorite aspirant for the top job in other to leverage on Mr Udom Emmanuel’s popularity.

Chief Assam claims he is one of those who worked for Governor Akpabio and one of those who “campaigned and spent their time and money for him to become Governor, those who salvaged his Government and laundered his image, those who stood by him when he was wearing the garment of cultists, those who gave him hope when he was hopeless, those who faced the difficult times with him…” Chief Assam’s reference to cultism is nothing short of self-indictment. As the Commissioner for Justice in Akwa Ibom State how many cultists did he prosecute? What did he do about crime? Obviously, Chief Assam is using this medium to attract attention and this he betrays in this lines, “Speaking for myself, I can assure you that no threat can deter me from the pursuit of a goal I have set for myself and no coercion can force me out of a match”. Nobody is forcing the learned Senior Advocate out of any match. He is entitled to aspire for any office. A recent interview he granted the Insight Newspapers shows Chief Assam is seeking everything but the Governorship position, “I want to tell you all that the only person I will contest the governorship with is Akpabio and the day he withdraws from the race I will have no opposition. Akpabio is the only obstacle to a free and transparent party nomination and election but I am glad because the People’s Democratic Party has started the process of a free and fair nomination and election”. My question is, Is Governor Akpabio also one of the aspirants? However, he (Chief Assam) does not need to use blackmail to try to ascend to any office. Even as young people, we understand Chief Assam’s popularity is on a downward slide and even stunts like this open letter will not help his situation. I am only concerned because of all people, he chosed to direct his letter to Mr Udom Emmanuel. I will be glad if Mr Udom does not dignify that letter with a reply. The Udom we all know is a savvy , purpose-driven, value-maximizing, and thoroughbred professional whose driving force hinges on the fundamental need to make a difference. His magic wand is his commitment to excellence which derives its finer stuff from hard work, dedication, and recourse to endless prayers. He is God fearing, resolute, dedicated, competent, creative, visionary, efficient, highly adaptable, disciplined, career minded performer, strategist and a richly experienced private sector player. A man who is prepared and ready to mobilise all strata of the state. A man who doesn’t feel insecure to assemble the best brains and experts in the state

. A man who will harness ideas from all and sundry through public consultations and participation to govern the state. He is competent and qualified and nothing, not even this letter will stop him.

 - Aniekeme Finbarr is a Public Affairs Analyst