When the Noise is Over, the People shall Speak
Thomas Thomas
The last piece I wrote was a warning to those who oppose the Governor, that they should oppose him with decorum, and not resort to smear campaigns calculated to distract the people or derail the developmental aggression that has characterised the administration of Pastor Umo Eno.
And now it behooves on me, having followed the politics of this State for more than a decade, to write these things down and make them known, that you may not be confused by the voices and rhetorics of opposition elements, nor be carried away from the things which your eyes have seen and your hands have touched.
For there has been a visible movement across the State. The ravine along Brook Street and Udo Inwang Street, once associated with a difficult urban landscape, has been transformed into an attraction and an emerging centre of economic activity. The former College of Education, Afaha Nsit, which once struggled to attract the attention of many prospective students, has been transformed into a university of education. And there is Medical City at Itak.
Shall I also speak of the compassionate homes established across the State? Or of the model health centres? Or the roads, the model primary schools, and the other interventions scattered across communities? These are not rumours carried by the wind; they are projects and policies that can be seen, examined and discussed.
Therefore, let no one be deceived by the abundance of political words. Let every claim be tested against the record, and let every promise be weighed against what has already been done. For politics is a season, but the works of government remain before the people.
And when that day comes, many of the voices that are now lifted high may be compelled to reckon with the record they have spent so much time attempting to obscure. For the road constructed remains, the school remains, the hospital remains, the compassionate homes remain, and the opportunities created for the people remain.
Then shall the people distinguish between the noise of political rhetoric and the evidence of governance. Those who have criticised shall have opportunity to explain their criticisms, while those who have governed shall have the opportunity to account for what they have done. And the people, having heard both sides, shall speak through their votes.
Therefore, O beloved sweetheart, be not troubled by the clamour that precedes the election. Let no campaign of bitterness make you forget the things that have been accomplished, and let no promise make you blind to the record already established.
For the hour will come when every political voice shall become quiet, and the people alone shall have the final word. And in that hour, those who now speak with certainty shall discover that political seasons change, alliances shift, and yesterday’s combatants may tomorrow seek the hands of those they once opposed.
These things I write down, not to inflame the contest, but that the record may be remembered. Let opposition be opposition, let criticism be criticism, and let politics remain politics. But let no one, in the pursuit of power, become so consumed by bitterness that he forgets the State and the people for whom power is sought.
For the people are watching, and the people shall judge. The works are before them, the promises are before them, and the arguments of all sides shall be before them. And when the noise is over, the people shall speak.