i have been silent on the whole political season in akwa ibom largely because i am aghast. in the furtherance of free and open elections, at least a dozen political aspirants and their family members have been kidnapped, murdered, and jailed in the past three months alone. just yesterday, governor godswill akpabio hijacked the pdp primary by omitting the other candidates' names from the ballot.

i weep for this nigeria. i weep for my children's children who will likely live in a country that is still largely undeveloped, if it exists at all, while the people in positions of power continue to be governed by their own personal interests and smallmindedness.

this is not democracy; it is madness. --AL.