An estranged ally of Senator Bassey Albert (OBA), the convicted governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) for 2023 general election in Akwa Ibom State said he had distanced himself from the Senator because of what he termed “desperation to grab power at all cost for selfish interest, aggrandizement and institutionalization of cultism in the State”, which he said was not in the best interest of Akwa Ibom people. The former hitman spoke yesterday (Sunday) with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, saying that he had regretted allowing himself to be used by OBA in recent past against his people, but however believed that God has forgiven him of all the atrocities he had committed at the behest of the convicted Senator in the past. The forty-six year old man added that those atrocities would constitute a barrier on OBA’s path to becoming the Governor of Akwa Ibom State; maintaining strongly that “the Senator’s governorship ambition is built on evil and his plans were not godly, but against the people of the State”.
The self acclaim repented cultist further stated that “OBA’s ambition is satanic and nothing more. He is a violent man, and had pushed me into maiming a lot of people within and outside Ibiono were both of us come from, especially perceived opposition to the then Government of Chief Godswill Akpabio. I can tell you it would be worse if Akwa Ibom people allow him to take over from Gov. Udom Emmanuel. A lot of lives will be wasted, and many families will be suffering.”
Continuing, the former hitman alleged that shortly before OBA was convicted, he had bought motorcycles to some young men who were carefully selected from strategic villages in Ibiono and got them initiated into cultism, as that was the only criterion to get a motorcycle from OBA. Those who got the motorcycles are currently used as hitmen and spies for OBA in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area. They operate mostly at nights. They were instructed to always keep their phones on so that once their services were needed, they would be called.
A lady from OkoIto also confided in our correspondent that her brother “knows no peace right from the day he received a QLink motorcycle from Senator Bassey Albert”. She said her brother slept in the morning and afternoon, and would be leaving the house from 9pm every day.
“When I probed to know what was going on with my brother, he confided in me that he regretted collecting the motorcycle from OBA because since Day-One his days had been turned to nights, and nights to days, because he must obey ‘the last command” if he must survive. The “last command”, according to my brother, has always been a call to come out almost every night for “matters”, which at the end of the day a sad story would emanate,” she alleged.
It could be recalled that OBA had severally made some statements of late that have given him out as “a man of violence and a cultist”. Early in 2021 he admitted to being “a cultist for Christ”, ostensibly as a response to the late Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga’s assertion that “a cultist would not take over from Mr. Udom Emmanuel”. This paper can authoritatively state that the late Nkanga did not mention anybody’s name when he made the statement, but, a source close to OBA confided in one of our correspondents that “OBA was so pained by the ex governor’s assertion, which is why he responded and ended up announcing himself as a violent man and cultist.”
“Akwa Ibom masses have taken note of OBA’s violent utterances”, according to pundits who interacted with our correspondents, therefore reasonable Akwa Ibom people are afraid of allowing him access to power, especially as Governor. Statement like “who born dog?” also advertised his devilish contents
“OBA was one of former Governor Godswill Akpabio’s right hand men. If you recall how brutal that government was, you will agree with those who do not wish for a Bassey Albert administration. He held Ibiono hostage during that administration through his cult-like Ibiono Ibom Grand Alliance for Good Governance. You can name what happened in the area then. You can count how many Ibiono Ibom sons got missing, even though it is not clear if he was directly or indirectly behind”.
Still on OBA’s affiliation to cultists in the State, Elder Emmanuel Udosen in his recent article in the media asserts that “A couple of months ago, and following the proscription of Cultism in Akwa Ibom State by His Excellency, Dcn. Udom Emmanuel, effort was unsuccessfully made by some miscreants to show that every politician is a cultist. It was declared at some quarters that everyone in government house was either a cultists or an Occult; and that cultism is a religion by reason of which the constitution of Nigeria protects her citizens’ choice to belong.
“Because of another erroneous claim that cultists were in the majority in our State and therefore reserved the monopoly of powers over electioneering matters, some people started bragging that it was a matter of time before this “churchy” government will give way and return power to where it belongs – the Underworld.
“But as if proscription of cultism was not enough, Udom Emmanuel became the first Governor to dare cultists on the face and say, “I will not support, or hand over the Hilltop Mansion to a Cultist”.
“In a swift reaction intended to confirm the wrongly held notion that cultists form majority in government and in Akwa Ibom State, one of the proponents of politics as a “dirty game” (OBA) proudly exclaimed, “I AM A CULTIST”…, “CULTISM IS A RELIGION LIKE CHRISTIANITY”…
“The occasion of that pronouncement was supposed to be a Color Flying rally for other cultists to make similar public proclamations and stun Akwa Ibomites with their number, but to the disappointment of the man, others coiled back to their shell, and left him alone to explain to Akwa Ibom State how Buccaneer, Mafia, Black Axe, Vikings, Pirates Confraternity, etc, can be on equal pedestal with Christianity.