A’Ibom LG Polls: Did Gov Eno betray PDP to oil political romance with Akpabio?
Controversial APC victory, amidst conflicting results, for the chairmanship of Sen President, Godswill Akpabio’s Local Government (LG) in October 5 Akwa Ibom polls leaves PDP stakeholders, others suspecting betrayal by Governor Umo Eno.
Despite the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sweeping an unsurprising 30 out of 31 chairmanship seats contested in October 5 Local Government (LG) elections in Akwa Ibom state, aggrieved members of the state ruling party are livid over the outcome.
Majority party faithful wore gloomy faces at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Uyo, as Governor Umo Eno swore in the chairmanship winners to takeover their respective councils. Even the governor admitted knowing “People are angry”.
The anger of PDP was informed by the surprise conversation lingering from one of two predictable outcomes of the polls that produced the new helmsmen in Akwa Ibom LGs.
The only chairmanship seat the PDP lost went to All Progressives Congress (APC) for Essien Udim LG in a controversial drama. Essiem Udim is the LGA of Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Saturday evening, as results were trickling in from votes collated, Professor Inyang Atting of the University of Uyo, affirming self as the assigned Returning Officer (RO) for the chairmanship polls for Essien Udim had returned the PDP candidate, Enobong Patrick Friday, elected. Atting’s announcement was captured in a video that went viral.
By Sunday, as Elder Aniedi Ikoiwak, Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC) presented Certificates of Return to the chairmen elect, it was Ntiedo Usoro of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that was listed for Essien Udim.
PDP stakeholders alleged a stolen mandate. They accused the governor of selling out the party to oil his sizzling political relationship with the Senate President at the expense of the party’s collective fortunes. The victory was upturned and was allegedly awarded to another candidate to save Akpabio from humiliation, stakeholders said.
Predictable outcome
As it is usual for the ruling party to win all seats or most of them, the PDP was expected to gain clean sweep in Akwa Ibom as the other 11 political parties cleared for the polls were never on ground going into the elections.
For lead opposition, the APC, avid monitor of Akwa Ibom politics, Etim Etim in the run to the polls had, “warned members not to waste their energy, money and time to contest the council elections because PDP would, naturally sweep the polls.
“APC in Akwa Ibom is too weak, factionalized, demoralized, demotivated and despondent to win any election.”
Against these limitations, while Akpabio bragged, “Nobody can dismiss the APC in this state”, a party chieftain further admitted, “APC does not exist in Akwa Ibom. The only time we show presence is when the Senate President flies into town to brag. We are not on ground.”
With this PDP’s head advantage, the suspicion was also rife that Governor Eno would gratify Sen Akpabio with underserved victory for the APC in the chairmanship race for his LG, Essien Udim.
Confronted with this fear, the governor in denial had told PDP faithful, “I’ve tremendous respect for the Senate President and will continue to do so. That does not mean we don’t disagree when it comes to party issues.
“We are going for election now, and I am working for my party, the PDP. We are campaigning and we will win. People have accused me of my body language. You misread me. There is no body language. I am working for the PDP, and we have shown the people we can be trusted.”
The expected happened
Returning Officer (RO) for Essien Udim LG, Prof Inyang Ating, had declared PDP chairmanship candidate, Enobong Patrick Friday, elected supposedly at the end of collation of votes from the area Saturday evening.
According to Atting, the University of Uyo Professor, “I certify I was the RO for the election held on the 5th of October 2024. That the election was contested.
“That Hon Ntiedo Usoro of the APC scored a total vote of 686. Engr Enobong Patrick Friday of the PDP scored a total vote of 55612.
That Enobong Patrick Friday of PDP having complied with requirements of the law and scored the majority of votes, is hereby declared elected.
“That Engr Enobong Patrick Friday in addition to scoring the majority votes, had more than 25% votes in all the 13 Wards of Essien Udim. I so declare and I hereby sign here as the Returning Officer.”
Sunday evening in the roll call of winners released by Elder Ikoiwak, Chairman, AKISIEC, as he issued Certificates of Return, Ntiedo Usoro of the APC was listed elected and received for Essien Udim LG.
AKISIEC Chairman Disowns Prof Atting, Suspends EO
Following Monday swearing of the new LG, the AKISIEC boss disowned the result from Prof Atting as RO and the commission’s own Electoral Office (EO) for the area.
Ikoiwak reacted: ‘‘Professor Ating was not appointed by us. Why is it only in Essien Udim that a Returning Officer (RO) read the result when other ROs of other LGAs did not read their results?’’
AKISIEC, he said, appointed Prof Uduak Okon of the Medical Sciences Department of same University of Uyo as RO for the area, not Prof Atting.
He said in the final result, Friday of PDP polled 22,799 votes while Usoro of APC scored 51,751 votes to be declared winner. However, this results wasn’t signed by EO who apparently endorsed Prof Atting’s result affirming PDP’s victory. It was returned by an Assistant RO.
Ikoiwak reacted: “The EO appeared at the headquarters on Sunday afternoon with results, but the commission had already collated results from various units and wards in the area from accredited officers based on the conduct of the election.”
APC victory proof election was free, fair — Gov
Swearing the 31 elected chairmen, Governor Eno said the APC winning one seat meant, “Our process was fair. Nobody can claim that it was not free. It was fair and it was credible. It was not the winner takes it all.
“To our party (PDP) faithful, losing one LGA in an election doesn’t mean we have failed. It simply means we allowed democracy to thrive. I know we feel bad, but this is the beauty of democracy”
Akwa Ibomites React
Both disowned RO, Prof Atting and suspended AKISIEC’s EO have gone AWOL, unreachable to further speak on the first results they delivered giving Essien Udim chairmanship victory to the PDP.
The supposedly short changed candidate of the PDP for the Essien Udim chairmanship seat has also evaded comments, congratulating his APC counterpart.
However, a Professor who is Atting’s colleague at the University of Uyo told Vanguard, “What would the media really want to ask Prof. Inyang Ating under the circumstance? He will not want to speak on that matter to the Press.
“He did his work, presented the result as seen in the video that has gone viral. The reverse was eventually announced by AKISIEC for reasons you may know. Prof Atting may only speak in Court should the matter get to that at all.”
Etim Etim thanked, “Governor Umo Eno for allowing the APC candidate win Essien Udim LG, Sen Akpabio’s LGA.
Etim stated, “We all know that all over the country, council elections are never free and fair, and most often than not elections results are written in the Government House.
“I noted that APC in Akwa Ibom is too weak, factionalized, demoralized, demotivated and despondent to win any election. I have been borne out.
“By allowing APC win in Akpabio’s backyard, Governor Eno has saved the Senate President huge political embarrassment, cemented cordial relationship between the two leaders and formally signalled the nature of the game that would be played in 2027.”
“A political alliance is being constructed between the Senate President and the governor and this will shape the politics of 2027. Akpabio owes Umo Eno, in particular and Akwa Ibom people in general, a lot. He must assist the governor to bring ‘’democracy dividends’’ from Abuja to our people.”
A PDP party chieftain told Vanguard, “Governor Eno has taken his suspicious romance with Akpabio and the APC too far.
“If he needed horse trading with Tinubu, Akpabio and APC, he should have given them his own LG and not Essien Udim. The last has not been heard on this matter.
His predecessor and benefactor (Emmanuel Udom) made enemies, including the Senate President to make him governor. He has betrayed Udom by the outcome of this polls.
It happened in my time — Akpabio
For Akpabio, the outcome of the poll was normal as it happened in his time as governor between 2007 and 2015.
“When I was Governor of Akwa Ibom, I oversaw about two elections. I recall one occasion I flew back into the state and learned there was turmoil surrounding the LG elections. The opposition had rejected the results.
“Then Chairperson of AKISIEC, Gloria Ukpong, assured me stakeholders would accept the results. I told her to declare for the opposition, and the ANPP won the championship in Ini LG along with other councilorship seats,” he recounted.