Akwa Ibom: Plan To Impose Udom’s Successor Tears PDP Apart

By James Orji

Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state quest to appoint a successor may precipitate a deep crisis in the ruling PDP in the oil rich state.

On Sunday, the governor brought to end months of speculation on who he will endorse as PDP candidate for next year’s governorship election, after he named Umo Eno the state’s commissioner for Lands as his preferred candidate at a stakeholders meeting held at government house, Uyo.

Speaking after the meeting, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ekerete Udo, said Eno was chosen by a cross section of PDP stakeholders in the state.

According to Udo, “the governor announced that he (Eno) was the one God has revealed to him as the next governor of the state and he was unveiled to all the stakeholders from the three senatorial districts of the state by the former governor, Obong Victor Attah, who then commended the choice. It was an array of the political elders made up of senators and House of Representatives members’.

But the governor’s decision to endorse Eno appears not to be well received by some governorship aspirants, including Chairman, House Representatives Committee on Judiciary, Onofiok Luke and the Commissioner for Economic Development and Ibom Deep Seaport, Akan Okon.

It was learnt that Okon refused to attend the meeting despite being invited while Luke was said to have angrily stormed out of the parley attended by major PDP stakeholders in the state including a former governor of the state, Obong Victor Attah and the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Aniekan Bassey. It was Attah who presented Eno as the endorsed candidate of the stakeholders of the party at the meeting.

Speaking after the meeting, Luke said he and other PDP stakeholders were not consulted on the matter. He said nobody can stop him from contesting for governor next year.

According to the lawmaker, “I’m not against their endorsement; and I’m not against the elders of the state. But I’m saying the endorsement could have happened after proper consultation.

“I went to Obong Attah and told him why didn’t you talk to all of us who are in this race? Why didn’t you talk to Sen Bassey Albert, why didn’t you talk to Akan Udofia; why didn’t you talk to Akan Okon; why didn’t you talk to James Iniama? because it was Obong Attah who amade the presentation, not the governor.

“We would have loved their endorsement but that would have been after due consultation. We would  love the endorsement by the elders of the state. But whoever they would endorse should be the choice of the majority of people in the state”.

Luke said he would pursue his governorship ambition notwithstanding the governor’s decision to endorse a particular candidate.

He said ”so, for me as Onofiok Akpan Luke, I am in the race for the governorship. I am going to stand election on the platform of my party the PDP. I am not part of that endorsement at all.

“But I respect their views; I respect the opinion and choice of the governor. I respect Obong Victor Attah and the opinion of the elders of the state. It is their choice. I only respect their opinion; but I am not in support of what they are doing. I was ambushed. I didn’t know the agenda of the meeting but I had to respect the governor and attend the meeting at the lodge on his invitation”.

Other PDP stakeholders who attended the meeting include Deputy Governor, Moses Ekpo; Senators Akon Eyakenyi, Effiong Bob, Ibok Essien, Aloysius Etok, former Deputy Governor, Etim Okpoyo; member representing Etinan Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, Onofiok Luke; PDP chairman, Elder Aniekan Akpan; Barr Emmanuel Enoidem amongst others.