Emmanuel: Why I Didn’t Contest for Senate Seat

Okon Bassey in Uyo

The outgoing Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, has revealed that he did not seek election to the Nigerian Senate because as a “professional in politics,” he did not look at the next election but the next generation.

Emmanuel said he instead sought to be Nigeria’s president because he could rescue the country and put it back on track.
The governor, who stated this during a television interview, said: “I didn’t seek to go to the Senate; I sought to be the President because I know I can restore Nigeria, and that’s why I wanted to be president.

“In every country on planet earth, the presidency is based on economic blueprints, and we can have a good economy; that’s what the nation needs. I have what it takes to put this country back on track,” Emmanuel said.

Emmanuel, who is exiting office on Monday after eight years as governor, was one of the aspirants defeated by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary in May last year.
After losing the primaries, Emmanuel was appointed the chairperson of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council.
Speaking on the country’s current challenges, particularly the brain drain, Emmanuel said it was multi-sectoral and beyond the power of a subnational.
The governor said it has to be looked at holistically from the national level to build a strong economy to reverse it.

“It is not only affecting one sector – go to education, health, ICT. In our days when you are sent on an exchange programme, all your salaries in Nigeria would still be there. You would be earning allowances there to keep you; so, when you come back and accumulate the salaries, then you should be able to buy a car. That was the attraction then.

“But now people are leaving for so many reasons, and I keep saying this, employees do not resign their jobs they resign their bosses – they love the jobs, but what their bosses put in place for the job is what they don’t like.”
The bosses, Emmanuel, said in this case, are the federal, state, and local government areas, including business firms.
Unlike other aspirants, particularly those in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who returned to contest for Senate after losing at the presidential primary, Emmanuel did not.

He said doing so would have been a violation of the law.
“I don’t like violating the law – I can’t be running for President and at the same time, I go and collect forms for the Senate. I mean, that’s a total violation of the Electoral Act,” he said.

Although the governor did not mention anybody’s name in particular, several APC presidential aspirants, including his predecessor, Godswill Akpabio, after losing at the presidential primary, contested for Senate and won.
Besides Akpabio, others include Governors David Umahi of Ebonyi State and Ben Ayade of Cross River States.
Emmanuel declined to comment when asked about his relationship with his former boss and predecessor in office, Akpabio.

“If you observe me over the years in any interview, I don’t discuss people and personalities, which is a very wrong thing. I am not into that kind of politics,” he replied.