There’s turmoil in Akwa Ibom State. Eminent civil disobedience, breakdown of law and order is almost getting to its flash point.
Akwa Ibom State, the one safest and peaceful destination in Niger Delta, nee Nigeria maybe thrown in total chaos any time soon if the incumbent Governor, Deacon Udom Emmanuel still refuses to read the obvious signs of the boiling crises showing everywhere.
What’s really going wrong in Akwa Ibom State? Why is Akwa Ibom State smoking?
Answer to those probing questions is that, incumbent Governor, Deacon Udom Emmanuel has on Sunday 30th January 2022 chosen an unpopular reddish skin pastor known as Umo Eno as his preferred successor for forthcoming 2023 governorship election.
Governor Emmanuel choice of Pastor Eno is thumbed down by majority except a handful of persons.
The choice of Pastor Umo Eno has become provocative to almost all Akwa Ibom persons to the extent that option such as endless civil disobedience is contemplated if the Governor does yield to the people demand.
While majority of youths are meeting here and there to undo Governor Emmanuel plans, a video recorded in local Ibibio language making mockery of the choice of the reddish skin pastor, described in the video as albino has gone viral.
The choice of Pastor Eno is variously rejected to the point that yesterday Monday 7th February 2022 the State Commissioner for Information, Comrade Ini Ememobong called a Press Conference to attempt to lobby the State to accept the Pastor chosen by the Governor.
In his address to newsmen at the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ Press Centre in Uyo, yesterday, the Commissioner wondered aloud by saying: “The people were pressuring the Governor to name his successor. He has now named his successor, why does it become an issue, why is the Governor vilified?
“Having taking cognizance that his choice is unpleasant to the whole State and that choice may not fly, it’s early enough for the Governor to substitute Pastor Umo Eno to someone else according to the provision of the electoral acts”, a Journalist advised Governor Emmanuel while asking his Commissioner for Information some questions.
Another Journalist asked: “The Governor was always saying he is praying to God to show him his successor. But a newspaper in the State has last week listed those who foisted Pastor Umo Eno to Governor Udom Emmanuel: According to the newspaper they are: Apostle Lawrence Achudume who’s not from Akwa Ibom State but has personal interest on Eno’s emergence, others are Gabriel Nkanang, Sylvia Umoh and Ekerette Emmanuel. These last three persons are all Governor Emmanuel biological brothers. Are these people the gods who revealed Pastor Umo Eno to Governor Udom Emmanuel?”
The Journalist proceeded by asking the State Commissioner for Information: “We were expecting you to refute what that newspaper said when you were addressing us here. If the Governor didn’t refute it as well, it means, he didn’t pray to God and you know what that means”.
The whole Press Conference which was a competition of quoting scripture here and there pushes us in this report to kindly advise the Governor as a reminder of the the episode of Hezekiah whom God sent a Prophet Isaiah to go tell him to put his house in order and prepare to die the next day. Hezekiah talked back to God, and God changed his mind over that plan. If the the Almighty could reverse himself, you will commit no crime, no sin to do same in the case of the wrong choice you have made for the Akwa Ibom State.
