GOVERNOR UDOM EMMANUEL AND THE SCARE OF JUDAS

By Osondu Ahirika

After emerging Pioneer Chairman PDP Governors Forum, on February 25, 2013, erstwhile Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Dr. Godswill Akpabio paid a courtesy call to then National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
He registered his mission to flush traitors out of their fold. It was the gestation stage of what later became a major implosion of the ruling party as certain governors mutinied against their party.
Here is what Chief Akpabio said, “”PDP is the only party with national spread and Nigerians have come to accept it. But when there is an implosion, when you have more Judases than disciples. The Judases are more than disciples now. We have to cleanse the system of Judases to support Mr. President. Where there is treachery, where there are more Judases than you have disciples, we want to have good disciples, we know that even in Christendom when Jesus Christ have 12 disciples, there was one Judas, but if the Judas were up to nine, then, Jesus could have been in trouble, the gospel would have been in trouble
today.” Akpabio knew, the conspiracy to trump the Jonathan Presidency was on course and the rest as we say, is history.

However, and as part of that political cycle, What Akpabio decried concerning President Jonathan at the national level, like a contagious disease soon caught up with him.
He dropped the first hint of this on December 3, 2013, during a three-day capacity building retreat organized for members of his Cabinet in Abuja. Chief Akpabio while commending their unflinching commitment for daring to believe in his vision which has translated into what was then known as uncommon transformation, albeit, dropped a bombshell. He raised alarm of lurking treachery.

An obviously irritated Chief Akpabio addressing his Commissioners and Special Advisers said, “if you are not with us in spirit and truth, then in God’s name do not tarry with us in Government.”
The governor added a caveat and a curse. “It is better not to be with us than to be with us and against us. It is my prayers that, those who have worked with us and who do not want us to end well, who are like Judases in our midst will also end like Judas”, he said.
As an endnote, he gave a commonition. “…Remember the other thief who ended up in paradise with Christ, that is how some of you are. No matter what happens, those of you who have just joined the Executive Council and do not behave like Judas will end up in Paradise come 2015.”
It was all in the intemperate and tempestuous days of succession projects. Chief Akpabio was working hard to see President Jonathan win a second term in office at the centre and was moreso determined to ensure, his preferred aspirant, Mr Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, becomes his worthy successor in office.

The activities of Judases, laced with intriguing and covert sabotage, made the terrain so inclement for these objectives to be attained.
Somehow, Governor Akpabio survived their onslaught at the home front (whoever they were, as best known to him). Those who stayed on board with him did migrate into the post Akpabio era.
But, at the centre, the mutineers overwhelmed PDP and sent Jonathan crashing.
Fast forward to Governor Udom Emmanuel, who was dully elected and affirmed by the Supreme Court after a hard fought litigation. It very well appears, he inherited the same pain.
Inaugurating his new cabinet on Thursday December 1, 2016, he gave a cautionary counsel which revealed that much. He warned them in an off the speech curve, not to behave like some Commissioners in the past, who he said and played the ignoble role of ‘Judas Ischariot’.
I recall that there were rumours, some appointees of his were consociating with the opposition while he was battling to validate his challenged mandate in the courts. Some tabloids insinuated that, those officials who were hobnobbing with his opponents, in the political night, like Nicodemus, were leaked to Governor Udom Emmanuel. Not being privy to such details, I cannot affirm them. But I wager that, it is not improbable that some insiders in his circle were confedrating with his rivals.

How he kept his cool and managed such revelation is a study in self control. In the formal speech, he stressed that, “Competence, loyalty, transparency and pedigree remain the abiding values that recommended you to this position of high responsibility;” and harped, ” you must let these values remain your guiding principle.”
Folks’, as William Shakespeare said, “it is hard to read the minds construction on the face”. As we look at the group photograph of the immediate past cabinet and behold their chubby visages, who do we finger as the Judas amongst them? This is the million naira question. Especially so because, we have no clue of who to scorn.

Moreso, from the radiant faces of the new cabinet, who will contract that forbidden and abominable virus of treachery? Who among them will turnaround and remorselessly, pelt the governor with stones when tomorrow comes? God forbid!
No leader deserves a Judas as an aide. Its a scary proposition everyone should dread. Not even the worst dictator, deserves a hand that betrays him among his trusted inner circle. Of course, a Governor Emmanuel surely will do better without such a curse.
In William Shakespeares epic tragic play, King Richard II, we are given a clue to the pain of a King, when his trusted subjects betray and dethrone him.
His crown revoked and his Majesty undone by Henry Bolingbroke( his nephew, who hatched the conspiracy to oust him), King Richard II lamented his heartbreaking fate, saying, “Yet I well remember The favours of these men: were they not mine? Did they not sometime cry, ‘all hail!’ to me?
So Judas did to Christ: but he, in twelve, Found truth in all but one: I, in twelve thousand, none.” His entire royal court was mired in disloyalty.

Whoever it is, that plays Judas to to those who trust him/her, with their lives and confidence, has his perverse conscience to battle with. I can only say to politicians who don’t have qualms biting the fingers that fed them- watch your back!
My position is simple- once you realize you can’t serve with honesty and unblemished faith in the system, heed the advice of Chief Akpabio, ““It is better not to be with us than to be with us and against us.” I won’t say more.