Etim Etim
The visit of former Governor Udom Emmanuel to Akwa Ibom State last Wednesday has triggered spirited discussions in some quarters, particularly because some appointees of Gov. Umo Eno went to the airport to receive the former governor. Eno defected from PDP to APC in June, but his predecessor has remained in the PDP. Since then, there have been speculations about the relationship between the two men, with many claiming that all is not well between them. So, when Udom Emmanuel arrived Uyo in a chartered flight and was met at the airport by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Kufre Edidem; some of the governor’s appointees (all of whom had defected with the governor), and a crowd of PDP supporters singing and waving their party’s flags, many APC members were astounded, with many raising questions, speculations, innuendoes and rumours since Wednesday.
When he arrived his country home in Onna Local Government Area, some 40 minutes from the airport, the former governor met a larger crowd of supporters singing, dancing and drumming. But he told them that he was not in the state for politics; and that he came for the funeral of his cousin; and to that extent, he would not make any political statement. It should be stressed that long before Eno defected to APC, his appointees were in the habit of going to the airport to receive the former governor whenever he visited the state. But now, some APC members are against that, even though the governor has no qualms with it.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelOn Thursday, a Media Assistant to Senator Akpabio forwarded a photograph of Essien Ndueso, Special Assistant to the Governor on Research and Documentation, posing with the former governor at the airport to me and wrote: “Essien Ndueso, daring Gov. Eno?’’. I responded immediately: “He is not daring the governor. We are no longer in the era of political differences being the cause of enmity. After all, the PDP State Chairman, Elder Aniekan Akpan, and many other PDP members were in the country home of the Senate President the other day to attend a meeting. Did anybody raise an alarm?’’ The matter ended.
But on Saturday morning, another media assistant to the Senate President, Anietie Ekong, posted a lengthy article on Facebook, warning that Gov Eno’s staff who were at the airport to receive the former governor might be playing a cloak-and-dagger political game. He wrote: “What I found most disturbing and concerning are the appointees of Gov Umo Eno who trooped out to welcome their former boss and rubbed it on our faces where their allegiance and loyalty stand. They stumbled over themselves to take selfies with the former governor and, without qualms, splashed (the photographs) in our faces in social media; their bodies may be with Governor Eno, but their hearts are with Mr Udom Emmanuel.” He continued: “Truth is, some of the governor’s present set of appointees may have claimed to follow the governor to APC, but their hearts are not with him. They are disgruntled. Some of them are just hanging in there waiting for the right time to strike. If you want to know them, go back and take a look at those who sang along with PDP supporters in the name of going to receive former Gov Udom Emmanuel.’’
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These are very weighty allegations, and coming from a senior official of the Senate President. I took more than a passing interest in them. For one, the writer is not known to be flippant and the fact that two of the Senate President’s staffers are leading the debate makes it all the more intriguing. I responded by stating that the presence of the governor’s aides at the airport does not necessarily amount to disloyalty to the governor, in my view. Rather, it is in consonance with Eno’s brand of politics which which he terms “Akwa Ibom United’’. This means our political differences should not make us enemies.
But is it possible for a senior government official to have gone to the airport to receive the former governor without the governor’s approval? I reached out to the governor and a long exchange ensued. Excerpts:
Me: Good day, Sir. Your predecessor arrived in Uyo the other day, and some of your officials went to the airport to receive him. But some APC members seem uncomfortable with that. They think that your officials are disloyal. In fact, I have just read an article written by…
Gov: “I have also read the piece, but I do not like this culture of people always vilifying people who are not on our side.”
Me: Our people are used to that, Sir. That’s the politics we played in Akwa Ibom State before you came on to the scene. It will take time to change…But what’s your relationship with your predecessor?
Gov: I will not fight my boss (referring to the former governor) or any leader. (Again, this has been the governor’s refrain in all his public communications. He’s also asked Akwa Ibom people to eschew throwing insults at elders).
Me: But Sir, is your boss happy with you…I mean, is he okay that you had moved to APC?
Gov: “We are in good terms.”
Me: Are you okay that some of your appointees were at the airport to receive the former governor on Wednesday?
Gov: “We are running Akwa Ibom United (This is his favourite political punchline). We respect our leaders across party lines, but that does not change the fact that I am in APC now to support President Bola Tinubu and the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio. Going to the airport to greet our leaders openly is not a problem, but the problem is those who do so secretly with ulterior motives. Let me be clear: Akwa Ibom State is now APC, and by the grace of God, nothing will change that. Meekness does not mean weakness; our people know the truth that we are serving them wholeheartedly. The records speak for itself. For me, those to watch out for are not those who pay respect to our leaders in the open. It is those who sneak surreptitiously to tell lies and plant evil seeds and yet come to smile with you. And this happens across board, irrespective of party affiliations. They call it politics, but it is deceit of the highest order, and must not be given a chance to thrive in our polity. This is what destroys friendships and relationships.
Me: Thank you sir.
But there are a few issues that are very concerning to both APC and PDP members, as far as the former governor is concerned. First, his reluctance to make a categorical statement on his relationship with his successor is at the root of all the speculations and insinuations in the state. The governor has consistently stated that he had consulted his predecessor before he left PDP, and that he still holds him in high esteem. But the former governor’s reticence has left room for conjectures and innuendoes about his politics. Where does Udom Emmanuel stand on the reelection of President Tinubu? Is he still in support of the president’s reelection as he pledged in the Villa when he, the governor, and the Senate President met with the President late February? I recall that the governor and the Senate President had led a large delegation of Akwa Ibom people to visit President Tinubu in Abuja in February. Before the meeting commenced, Senator Akpabio, Gov. Eno, and Udom Emmanuel had met privately with the President for about two hours inside the President’s office. It was there that Udom Emmanuel pledged to support the President for his reelection. Is the former governor still keeping to his words to support the President or has he reneged?
On arrival last week, Udom Emmanuel announced that he was not in town for politics. But that is not very correct. Politics was high on his agenda. That night, he asked the PDP State Deputy Chairman, Harrison Ekpo, who is his kinsman, to convene a meeting of the 31 Chapter chairmen of the party for 2 pm the following day at his country home. But a counter notice soon emerged when the State Chairman, Elder Aniekan Akpan, got wind of the meeting. The Chairman was miffed that the former governor did not inform him of the meeting, although he was with the former governor earlier in the day. The counter notification noted that it is only the Chairman who could issue a notice of meeting. PDP EXCO members are now wondering why the former governor decided to sidestep the State Chairman, who is from Akpabio’s senatorial district, and working with the deputy chairman, who is his kinsman from his LGA.
My sense is that Gov. Eno does not have any political problems with his predecessor, and he is not about to start a fight with him just because they are no longer in the same party. The governor is comfortable with his people welcoming his predecessor at the airport. I believe that they had sought and obtained his approval before they went to the airport. After all, even before he defected to APC, the governor was always visiting the Senate President, and on at least one occasion that I can remember, he even went to the airport to also receive the Senate President.
Some people’s obsession with the airport event arises from their inability to fully understand Umo Eno’s kind of politics, which has no room for violence, hatred, division, enmity, seclusion and exclusion. These were the main vitamins of politics in the state in the past. That Umo Eno has not picked a fight with his predecessor is also difficult for them to understand. Such fights were common in the past. Gov. Godswill Akpabio fought his predecessor, Obong Victor Attah, to a standstill as soon as he took over from Attah. In fact, it was so bad that Attah was barred from using the state-owned hotel for his birthday celebrations in 2008. After Akpabio, Udom Emmanuel came and immediately started a big fight with Akpabio. The fight was so bitter that Akpabio was literally chased out of the Presidential Lodge, near Government House, where he was staying whenever he was in Uyo. There were reports that trunks of dollars were carted away from the guest house. The enmity worsened after Akpabio defected from the PDP to the APC in August 2018. The state was divided into two camps, and friends became enemies. Till today, there is no love lost between Udom Emmanuel and Godswill Akpabio.
Since it is a tradition in the state for governors to quarrel with their predecessors, it is a natural instinct for some people to expect Umo Eno to start a fight with Udom Emmanuel just to continue the jinx. But Eno’s brand of politics is refreshingly disarming and I call on our people to give him some credit.
Etim Etim
ETIM ETIM is a journalist, banker and author. He has been a member of the Editorial Board of The Guardian, a Regional Manager in Access Bank and is currently a Columnist in Prime Business Africa, The Cable and Businessday newspapers.
He is also the Chief Executive of Stein Meyer Communications, a major media consultancy and the author of the best-selling book, "Akwa Ibom Heroes: Inside Story of the Fight for Abrogation of Onshore-Offshore Oil Dichotomy" and co-author of another book, "Osinbajo Strides: Defining Moments of an Innovative Leader".
