The inauguration of Peace Maintenance Movement (PMM) later changed to Maintain Peace Movement in Ikono and Ini and other local government areas has sunk into the consciousness of the Akwa Ibom electorate as political fulcrum of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to capture the soul of the state in 2023 general elections.
Before this, the rumour was rife. But the government media chiefs were in communicado to confirm the rumour. It went to town. No one was there to receive her. Though people saw her, many did not take judicial notice of her. ‘Mind your business’ was the slogan. She moved from church to hotel room and rounded off her business meeting and left town. Rumour still thrives.
Simple: Governor Udom Emmanuel (or was it committee of friends?) organised a thanksgiving service that marked his 55th birthday anniversary in Lagos. United Evangelical Church (or Qua Iboe Church?), Surulere, Lagos State was the venue. But the underlying factor of the bash in far-away state might have been prompted by politicking; hence the huge attendance of persons at the service.
Shortly after the Church service, unconfirmed reports had it that two political gladiators eyeing the governorship mantle in 2023 parted ways to their tents and brought out political work-plans. Their disciples followed and churned out their strategies.
Pastor Umo Eno, the Commissioner for Lands and Water Resources, headed to his colony while Udom Inoyo, the retired Vice Chairman of ExxonMobil retired to his territory. The governor played a good man and a team player with a clandestine plot to father a successor. He may be shielding his grand plot to pull out from his rolled sleeve at the 11th hour. He kindly attended the two meetings. What transpired, no one knows, except the kitchen cabinet members of the two major aspirants. Anyway, this was rumour.
Like a forerunner, the new campaign council’s Director of Media and Publicity, Ini Ememobong had announced in a statement that the launch would take place at Ikono and Ini local government areas, adding that the former political group which was known as Divine Mandate would be completing its Mandate by 2023.
Ememobong who is the Commissioner for Information and Strategy said the Peace Maintenance Movement became necessary following the expected end of the Divine Mandate, which had as its slogan ‘Only God.’
“As the Divine Mandate is completing its agenda, there is a need to maintain peace and the benefits of past governments. It is a Movement that will start at the end of the Completion Agenda. Divine Mandate has its Completion Agenda, and as it completes its agenda, there is need to do something else, Divine Mandate has its time and season, and its duration was from 2015 to 2023.”
So, the birth of “Peace Maintenance Movement” on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 bears the trademark of the present administration. The organizers were outspoken and clear in their quest ‘’to consolidate on the peace, growth and Industrial development currently prevailing in Akwa Ibom state and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.’’ The Green light: To consolidate the gains made by the current administration in the state.
According to them, it is a grassroots mobilization movement geared towards preparing the state for a future that will guarantee Peace, Prosperity and Sustainable growth .
The Director General of PMM, Barr Emmanuel Enoidem said the group which will be officially known as “Peace Maintenance Movement” will have as her official slogan, “That Same God.”
Close Aides of the governor were said to have framed a new campaign slogan That Same God. This sounds as the grand-child of Only God campaign slogan used by the governor during the 2019 governorship election. The slogan is meant for the supposed 2023 PDP governorship candidate, though it alleged that it might have been taken from OBA campaign organisation.
Barr Enoidem while inaugurating the Ikono Chapter of MPM at the Council Secretariat, Ibiaku Ntok Okpo, said the formation of PMM became necessary given the need to consolidate on the achievements recorded by the Governor Udom Emmanuel-led administration in the State.
Enoidem who is also the National Legal Adviser of the PDP thanked the people of Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency for their steadfastness with the PDP, and sued for their continuous support going forward, assuring of better times ahead.
The PMM DG tasked the leadership of the Movement in the federal Constituency to set up structures at the ward level. Sir Victor Etefia, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Petroleum Matters was elected as the Ikono Chapter Coordinator of PMM, while a former Local Government Chairman, Mr. Itoro Columba, is the Secretary.
The PDP National Legal Adviser also inaugurated the Ini Chapter of PMM at the Council Secretariat, Odoro Ikpe where the Commissioner for Agriculture and Dean of Commissioners, Dr. Glory Edet was inaugurated as the Local Government Coordinator while the Chief Whip of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and Member representing Ini State Constituency, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Ekpenyong, is the secretary.
In their acceptance speeches, the PMM Coordinators and Secretary in Ikono and Ini, Sir Victor Etefia and Dr Glory Edet, as well as Itoro Columba and Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Ekpenyong thanked Governor Udom Emmanuel and PMM DG, Barr. Enoidem, for the confidence reposed in them to serve in the leadership cadre of the group in their Local Governments.
They pledged their loyalty and commitment towards the actualization of the core mandate and objective of forum in the Federal Constituency in particular and the State in general.
At the event were the Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, who led other members of the State House of Assembly, members of the State Executive Council, Chairmen and members of Boards, Aides to the Governor and Political stalwarts from all over the State.
In what looks as ‘’the hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob’ the meeting ended with huge government presence. So, euphoria of the meetings provided the inkling that the governor has endorsed the forum as the major compass in perfecting the grand plot.
However, the governor had and has been saying that he was not interested in producing a successor. He had handed over the task to God It is not clear whether the governor has finally gotten the gift of divine clairvoyance to decipher his ‘anointed’ successor.
In July 2020, he vowed ”not to plant a surrogate as successor in 2023, but will only support a candidate who has the genuine interest for the development of the state and its people at heart.
Udom stated this in a Facebook media chat saying, “I am not the kind of governor that will seek a third term through a surrogate or who wants to rule for 24 years. I can only support someone who genuinely has the development and interest of the state at heart.’’
In June 2021, the Governor asked ”Akwa Ibom indigenes to pray God to choose his successor.
During an interaction with newsmen in the state, the
governor said “I have no hand in who emerges as the next governor. Akwa Ibom people should ask God for their next governor”.
“I am not using God’s name in vain. Let us allow God to do what he wants to do. it will be in the best interest of Akwa Ibom state,” Emmanuel had declared.
The governor confessed that he has been under severe pressure over the choice of his successor and went spiritual by saying that he will not be another Saul, who sinned against God by bowing to the pressure of the people and did what he was not supposed to do as a king.
Emmanuel, whose reelection campaign slogan was ‘Only God,’ insisted that; “God will make his choice for Akwa Ibom state.”
The governor is not alone. The Fathers of Faith in the state led by the Prelate Emeritus of Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Mbang have been saying that they are still praying for Emmanuel’s successor and the next governor. No one knows when God will answer their prayers. But the prayer session is still hot.
When Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer, popularly called Daddy GO, of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) visited the state in April 2021, he prayed for Akwa Ibom state, asking God to give the state a good successor of Udom Emmanuel, as the governor, in 2023.
“Let it be well with this state and all those who wish her well too. May God grant the Governor and the state a good successor who will continue with the good works the Governor has been doing; who will not disrupt those good works. I pray that God should show through Divine revelations to your son who the successor will be.” he prayed.
This was further given verve by the former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo asked Akwa Ibom State governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel to pick a good successor in order to sustain his development strides in the state.
Obasanjo, who inaugurated a one-kilometre Ikot Oku Ikono flover in Uyo, on that fateful Friday, stated that having a good successor was even more important than having a successful administration since a good succession plan is part of the success of any government.
“Your success does not stop with your economic and social development to your people; but it would be measured by your succession because success without a good successor is hollow.
“I pray and pray again that you would have a good successor” the former President had stressed.
After the public space was completely enmeshed with Umo Eno, the hullabaloo about him as perhaps, Emmanuel’s successor appears to have temporarily ebbs, giving way to the resurgence of ex-ExxonMobil tycoon.
The Mbang-led Fathers of Faith had set the major criteria that anyone angling to succeed Emmanuel must be pure and clean without the tag of cultism as blight in their character.
Mbang, who addressed the media community on the matter, had disclosed that 13 of such aspirants had come to clear their names of such evil association.
He, therefore, urged others nursing such ambition to come out and clear their names publicly in the media as the Christian community would not sanction a known cultist to succeed Deacon Emmanuel, a devout Christian of QIC/UEC fold.
Some political analysts see governor’s move in firing the movement as a volte-face. Like in Biblical times when Moses had gone up the mountain to collect the tablets from God, and the Israelites seemed to have waited endlessly, so they pressured Aaron, saying ….Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him – Exodus 32:23.
The Governor is no longer waiting on the fathers of faith to bring answer from the mercy seat of God but has latched onto the prompting of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. He has fired off with Maintain Peace Movement.
