THE NEED TO ESCHEW POLITICS OF BITTERNESS AND BLACKMAIL IN THE 2023 AKWA IBOM SOUTH (EKET) SENATORIAL DISTRICT ELECTION PROCESS

Social development studies have not only stressed that functional leadership is indispensable for meaningful social change but strongly recommended that addressing socio-economic and development challenges in developing societies would largely be difficult without the right kind of leadership.

Evidently, the quest for quality leadership is not only a festering national challenge but one that has consistently generated engaging public debates.

Regrettably, despite the consensus that quality leadership can only be emplaced through popular democratic actions, there seems to be an entrenched systemic culture where a few powerful and privileged political interests in society have arrogated to themselves the exclusive right to predetermine who qualifies to occupy one elective position or the other under the pretext of promoting a hazy and often lopsidedly interpreted doctrine of socio-political balance.

Manifestly, the conflicts between these self-serving political interests and fidelity to the democratic doctrine of free choice have accounted for noticeable desperate situations where blackmail and politics of deception are deployed to aimlessly spin established democratic principles to advance selfish political goals.

Thus, it could be difficult to deny that the increasing spate of orchestrated tricky politics of intimidation, arm-twisting, cheap blackmail, and character assassination characterized the evolving processes of electing the 2023 representative for the Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District is a shade of these dark political tendencies.

And, the fact that these self-serving tendencies heightened soon after the immediate past Chief of Staff to Governor Udom Emmanuel, Akparawa Ephraim Inyangeyen declared interest to contest the Senatorial Election should raise a lot of questions, prime among which would be: who is afraid of Ephraim Inyangeyen?

Contemporary social development indices have justified the growing popular concern that until there is a radical change in the pattern of the selection process, it will be difficult to address the political leadership challenges in society.

Consequently, the task of electing a Senator for Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District come 2023 must neither be left in the hands of a negligible few whose prime interest is a permanent occupation in government rather than the quality of governance nor others whose decisions in the past accounted for the prevailing deplorable state of affairs in the area today.

It is a hard fact that Eket Senatorial District needs a Senator with the capacity for effective representation; tested integrity, courage to stand up for what is right and the willingness to promote the collective well-being of the people. And the entrance of Akparawa Ephraim Inyangeyen into the Senatorial race has brightened the chances of producing a Senator with such leadership character and moral chemistry.

Rather than orchestrated politics of bitterness, the political leadership structure have a duty to provide a level playing field for all aspirants to present their blueprints to the people and allow the electorate to freely elect a candidate that would better serve the collective interests of the people.

2023 represents the beginning on an era of freedom and prosperity for the citizenry. But, this will only become a reality when the people are allowed to freely elect the person whose quality representation will guarantee the measure of transformation that would engineer meaningful and sustainable growth and development in the Senatorial District.

*Etoro-obong Inyang is a Political Affairs Analyst and advocate of good governance