Three days after his farcical defection, Akpo Bomba Yeeh was yet to recover from the shock of political chicanery and intrigue he had exposed himself. It was becoming evident that he would live to regret this one decision as the reality of what really transpired continues to unravel before him.

It began with his alleged abduction from the streets of Port Harcourt to somewhere inside old GRA and then from there he saw himself in the inner recesses of Government House, the seat of power. While he was trying to make a meaning of it all, some individuals he had obviously known or heard of walked in to try and calm him down.

“It was not a kidnap, really, it’s just that we needed to see you and talk with you. There is also someone else we would like you to meet,” so the explanation began.

Soon it was all explained to him what the agenda was and then he met the ‘someone’ they wanted him to meet. It turned out to be the person he suspected it would be. To cut a long story short he was offered an amount of money that was unbelievable: N200 million to dump his ambition, political party, and his co-candidate, Awara Biokpomabo.

The amount mentioned would ordinarily displace the reasoning capabilities of someone in his situation at the moment. All his years in the Nigeria Police Force went down with nothing. Faced with a retirement period that wasn’t looking pretty, N200 million was the expected utopia he had dreamt of. If all that was necessary was signing an already written script, whatever was inside, he needed to get it done with it as quickly as possible. In no time he put pen to paper without bothering about the content of what he was signing.

In a jiffy, cameras were assembled and a meeting quickly arranged with the top echelon of the party. He read the letter in front of cameras and went out to meet with the state Governor and other top goons of the party, shook hands and posed for photographs with them. In no time he was all over the media space. All this while, it never for once occurred to him that the whole thing was a charade that has no bearing on the aspiration of his now erstwhile running mate. The AAC was on the ballot and was still in strong contention for the Governorship seat of the state and his defection, resignation or whatever else was of no consequence.

It also did not occur to him what impact his action would have on the image of his ethnic nationality in a society where hasty generalization was a norm. His kinsman, a senator, was already in the news for allegedly undercutting and frustrating his erstwhile boss in exchange for cash and promises of 2023 governorship. Another of his kinsmen had conceded on a platter of gold his candidacy secured through the court to his main contender also in exchange for cash. And now he was next in line. It all rubbed off on the Ogoni ethnic nationality. The discourse was already trending without let on social media.    

Soon he would ride in an SUV back home, a luxury he had always dreamt of. By the time he was relaxed and checked through the Ghana-must-go bag that accompanied him home, it was a paltry N15 million and not N200 million that was there. Confused he tried reaching the people on the mobile lines given him inside the Government House but Alas! they were either switched off or not allocated, whatever that meant. The regrets had set in…so it was all a hoax. Well, sometimes, that is what politics is all about. The show was on at his behest and expense but he was helpless about it. They had made him play the music and sing the song, the party was on but he was gnashing his teeth in painful regret. Maybe, it would not have been that painful if he had not learnt that the guy who took him there, a certain senator of the federal republic of Nigeria, got a N100 million. Added to that was the agitation by his supposed supporters for their share of the bread. His calculations had snapped and he was in limbo. How much do I give these guys and how much would be left for me? The question ran through his mind but he had to find a way around it. It was too late. The arrow had left the bow and he was the one who took the shot while they smiled away. Politics is like that…