“Don’t Send Names To Me For Commissionership, Don’t Call Me, My Phones Are Switched Off” –  Gov Eno Warns Stakeholders

By Akinwale Kasali

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has warned stakeholders against sending names to him for Commissionership.

He has, also, dismissed a list of new Commissioner-nominees and other appointees in circulation as fake, adding that those in the said list have failed already.

He specifically stated that  he would submit the authentic list to the Akwa Ibom State House Assembly for clearance in order to reconstitute a fresh State Executive Council.

The Governor had, on Friday, January 10, 2025,  dismissed his foundation cabinet 20 months after assuming office.

Speaking at a valedictory dinner for the dissolved cabinet members  Friday night in Uyo, Eno stressed that anyone desperate to make the new cabinet, who has pushed persons of influence to recommend him for consideration, has lost his chance of being chosen.

At the Friday valedictory Cabinet meeting, the outgone Exco members had themselves moved and unanimously supported the motion for dissolution of the Cabinet.

The Governor sealed their disengagement by dropping the gavel.

He harped on his prerogative to pick his new cabinet by warning  stakeholders not to tell anyone to contact him.

He said,  “Please, don’t ask anybody to contact me. My phone lines are switched off already, and they will remain switched off until names will be sent to the House of Assembly next week.

“Don’t contact me. The surest way to make anyone fail is to send me any name. To appoint people into the EXCO of government is the sole prerogative of the governor.

“There’s first 11 and he (governor) takes responsibility for bringing them on board.

“And their loyalty will be to him and to him alone. If you want anybody not to make it to the EXCO, the surest way is to send the name of the person.

“I have read speculations of those that have already made the list. Thank you for making them fail.

“I can assure this audience that I have not penciled down a name, I don’t know where they saw the name. The only person I would have probably whispered to would have been my wife but she is in Heaven.”