Victor Ezeja
Akwa Ibom State.Governor, Umo Eno, has responded to a recent video in which his daughter, Jane Eddidiong Ufot, accused him of sacrificing her mother and former first lady of the state, Patience Umo.
Prime Business Africa reports that the Akwa Ibom First Lady passed away on 26 September 2024.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelMrs Ufot was appointed as a senior special adviser to the governor on health, safety and environment.
In the video that has gone viral, she alleged that there is a threat to her life and that of her little daughter, adding that she would not be sacrificed, like her mother was.
“I’m not a sacrifice, mummy was, but I’m not,” the governor’s daughter stated.
Mrs Ufot, who was on a video call with her father, the governor, handed the phone to her little daughter. She instructed the daughter to ask the governor whether he wanted to kill them.
Mrs Ufot, who did not mention those behind or being used to execute the purported plan, said: “If I die today or my daughter dies. If we die because God is exposing the truth, so be it. But my blood will not go scot-free.”
Reacting to that, Goverror Eno in an interview with newsmen on Saturday 31 May, said the video was recorded last year, shortly after his wife’s death, and described its resurgence as a plot by political detractors to throw spanners in his works.
The governor said that circulating the video now that they are celebrating milestones achieved by his administration in the last two years teaches him that there are detractors.
“We are in political times, and so you expect more of that. My family is intact,” the governor stated, pointing at his family members present at the gathering, including the daughter who made the video that trended on social media last week.
“You can see everyone and the event we are talking about happened immediately after my wife passed away last year. So why is it surfacing now? And why is it on the eve of a second year anniversary that we are celebrating the milestone that we have achieved? This teaches me that there are detractors around and so my family is intact. “So we have a good family. The pressure on the kids when they lose a loved one could be traumatic, and we must know that.”
The governor appealed to those circulating the video to let the family be and shouldn’t bring back sad memories.
“It’s enough that I’ve lost my wife, and I pray that they allow her peaceful soul to rest in peace, and don’t try to, but I can’t be distracted.”
He said he remains focused on serving Akwa Ibom people, and does not wish that what happened to him will happen to anyone else.
He warned that family issues should be off limits when it comes to politics.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
