By Suleiman Anyalewechi
Decries anti-grafts invitation to his predecessor, Udom Emmanuel
The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Dr Umo Eno, on Saturday, March 8, 2025, decried what he described as the persistent tendency to humiliate, malign and destroy past leaders of the state by some unscrupulous elements .
This is as he expressed fears that he might be a victim of such vicious vilification after leaving office.
Governor Eno’s lamentation is coming against the backdrop of the recent invitation to the immediate past Governor of the State, Udom Emmanuel by the Economic and Financial and Crime Commission, EFCC, over an alleged mismanagement of about N700 billion of State funds .
Former Governor Emmanuel was on Tuesday March 4, 2025, the guest of the Anti-graft agency.
The Source reports that the invitation of the former Governor was sequel to a petition authored by a non-state actor, the Network against Corruption and Human Trafficking.
The group, in its petition alleged that while a whooping sum of about N3 trillion accrued to Akwa Ibom State between 2015 and 2023, Governor Emmanuel left behind a liability in excess of N500 billion.
The civil society group, also, maintained that there are no visible projects in any parts of the state to justify the humongous sum received during the period under review.
However, at a town hall interactive session in Abak Local Council of the State on Saturday, Governor Eno exonerated his predecessor in office.
He described the allegations as a mere ploy to tarnish the image of the former Governor.
The Akwa Ibom state Governor expressed serious surprise at the figures being bandied about by the petitioners.
He emphatically distanced the State authorities from the claims of the petitioners, noting that the amount being quoted as missing is not known them.
“I don’t know where they got those figures from because it can’t be from Akwa Ibom state. It cannot also be from the State Government because we don’t have such figures”, Gov Eno noted.
He expressed deep regret that after putting in their best in the service of the State, past leaders could be subjected to such grueling and humiliating treatments.
According to him, such an ugly trend if not checked has the potential of discouraging office holders from giving their best to the State.
“We have done this consistently from Obong Victor Attah, Distinguished Senate President Godswill Akpabio. We vilified them after they left office .We took them all to the EFCC.
“Now, it is the turn of former Governor Udom Emmanuel.I am already expecting that it will happen to me after leaving office.
“But what this does is to discourage leadership .It discourages you from giving your best; from burning out yourself because at the end of the day ,the people don’t show gratitude.
“When a man has served his State meritoriously like Udom Emmanuel did, honestly, he should be honoured. He should be respected.
“I don’t see a place for this kind of vilification that is going on. It is not correct. I don’t believe it should go on in our State”, the Governor emphasized.
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