By Etim Etim
There’s been a flurry of articles in recent times warning Gov. Umo Eno of certain elements who recently moved into APC with him, but have displayed signs of disloyalty to the governor and his new party. The writers painstakingly caution that these people might be secretly working to sabotage his reelection in 2027. In a well-written piece posted last night and signed by Camillus Ukoette of Mbiasong Ward 5 in Nsit Ibom LGA, the writer cited a case of a commissioner in the governor’s cabinet, who attended a defection event in his community, received the party flag and other paraphernalia, but sneaked out without signing the party register. He warned that such people are up to no good.
The governor had made it clear that all his appointees must join APC with him or resign their appointments, and a good number of them had complied with it. But these whistleblowers are alarmed that some of the appointees are playing cloak and dagger game. Destiny Young, a well-known IT specialist who is a founding member of the party, recently wrote about some government appointees who are in the habit of denigrating the party in their social media posts. He wrote: ‘’How can you explain a situation where some aides to some elected officials and aides to some of the governor’s appointees, will come on the social media to denigrate the governor and the president, including making derogatory remarks about the president?’’.
Do these indicate that some people in the party might be (or would be) stealthily working to undermine the governor in his new party in 2027? Perhaps. But there’s no cause for alarm, and from all indications, the overwhelming majority of APC members are in full support of the governor and they will work for his overwhelming reelection. I acknowledge that there would always be intrigues and plots in a large political party, especially one formed through mergers. There’s no doubt that many in the PDP are not comfortable with the governor’s decision. It’s therefore possible that some aides and assistants whose principals have lost their perceived privileged positions might be presenting some form of post-trauma disorder symptoms. But they are in the minority, and even then, there are plans to checkmate such tendencies.
I understand that the governor would be meeting with all organs of the party in the state in the coming weeks. This would be followed by a stakeholders’ meeting of the party in which leaders and elders from every nook and cranny of the state will come together in a formal process of harmonization. Later in the year, there would be a renewal of the party’s register that will call for registration of new members and re registration of old members. Every member would be expected to get back to his or her polling unit to register. ‘’In every step of the way during these processes, saboteurs and pretenders would be identified and weeded out’’, a senior party official told me last night.
But beyond this, Gov. Eno has brought an unbelievably high energy into the party and reawakened a large number of members, including me, who had lost interest in it. ‘’Now, we have a governor’’ is a popular refrain among many of us who had become dormant, staid and dejected. Such a high level of enthusiasm is enough to counter any negative feelings in some of us. In addition, the governor’s personal appeal and high job approval ratings will also count for him when it’s time to hit the hustings.
But even with all the subterfuge that may occur, my conviction is that given the renewed strength of APC in the state; the caliber of its leaders; the collective strength of its members (both new and old); and the incumbency factor, President Tinubu; Senator Akpabio and Gov. Eno will return not less than 60% of the votes in Akwa Ibom in the next election. The opposition (whether ADA; ADC or PDP) in the state has become weaker and will face several hurdles, the most potent of which is lack of funding. Who will be the opposition governorship candidates in Akwa Ibom State and what is the level of their financial capacity? Senator John James Akpanudoedehe is so far the leader of ADC coalition in the state, but who will lead the PDP? Will the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District who are eagerly waiting to produce Eno’s successor in 2031, support a new candidate or they will stick with the incumbent to finish his term?
I have been closely involved in the opposition governorship campaigns of 2015; 2019 and 2023, and from my experience, I know how difficult it is for opposition to muster the needed resources to launch a successful electoral assault and unseat an incumbent governor in the state. Make no mistake, in Akwa Ibom elections, money talks at every level – from the day you declare interest to run to the Election Day. As soon as you declare an intention to run, your supporters (and even pretenders) will bombard you every day with requests for financial support to meet personal needs. Show me one person in the PDP or the coalition who can sustain such an endeavour now.
As I said, I am not perturbed by any sign of artifice that may be. Gov. Eno has made the right decision and Akwa Ibom people are all with him.
Etim is a Journalist and Public Affairs Analyst based in Abuja.
