By Osondu Ahirika
Senator Chris Ekpenyong a.k.a Ukarakpa is the Senator representing Akwa Ibom North West(Ikot Ekpene) Senatorial District.
For all I know about him, he s not a frivolous man but loves to crack jokes.
Albeit, he isn’t gifted with the genius of making humour.
He missed it when he said, even if Governor Udom Emmanuel presents a ‘Cripple’ as his preferred successor, he and his people, will have no choice than support the candidate.
In one fell swoop he rocked a well intended assurance.
As a matter of fact, he was simply deploying a hyperbole to aver his mindset.
Alas, this was a very costly and misplaced figure of speech.
The signification to generate comic relief failed woefully and his testament was received with scoffing disclaimers across board.
As a hyperbolic comment, the exaggerated statement wasn’t meant to be taken literally. Not that we don’t know his real conviction that Governor Emmanuel will never lower the bar.
But this is politics and every goof must be weaponized by the opposition.
How he failed in exercising restraint in the denotation is a lesson in public speaking.
First, to use ‘cripple’ as the metaphor is a faux pas in body shaming. Coming from a man who is a serial victim of same error by critics given his body size was distasteful.
For cripples or other physically challenged constituents that attended that event, or heard him on news mediums, how does he expect them to feel? Less human? Abased? Unworthy?
Again, the remark could well by reversed psychology imply that Governor Emmanuel may/has made an awful choice but the people are powerless to do anything about it.
Then, for the listening and watching world, making it look like Akwa Ibom State have been caged and cowed into a take-it-or-leave-it one-chance ride by an imperious ruler does disservice to the genuine avowal of the Governor to seek God’s grace and direction to grant a worthy successor to lead the State going forward.
Howbeit, since we know that Ukarakpa in reality means well, let us put this behind us and maintain the peace.
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