2027: Tension As Gov Eno Dumps Zoning, Declares Automatic Return Tickets

Amid protest by aggrieved political stakeholders and zonal leaders, the political dynamics of Akwa Ibom State founded on rotational principle regarding elective offices have been altered by Governor Umo Eno, ahead of the general elections next year, checks by our correspondent have revealed.

In the next political dispensation, it was gathered, all the incumbent elected officials – governor, National and State Assembly officials would get automatic return tickets in a consensus agreement to compensate members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who defected with the governor to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), at the centre.

However, the decision has provoked discordant tunes from zonal leaders, who have been anxiously waiting for the incumbent elected officials to return the baton to their areas, having served out their last terms across the 10 federal constituencies and the three senatorial districts.

For instance, Hon. Unyime Idem, representing Ukanafun/Oruk Anam federal constituency at the Green Chamber of the National Assembly, who is angling for a third term, is facing fire from the people of Oruk Anam council, who have rejected his third term ambition.

“Two local governments – Ukanafun LGA, where he (Idem) comes from and Oruk Anam LGA form the federal constituency, and the incumbent representative is serving second term, which should have been the turn of Oruk Anam, but we had to sacrifice for him in 2023, which had never happened before, and now, he’s again looking for third term. We won’t make the sacrifice again for us to stay for 12 years for only Ukanafun to enjoy the slot,” Etim Udoessien, a community leader in Oruk Anam, vowed.

Similarly, the people of Eket and Esit Eket local government areas have also kicked against the planned return of Hon. Opolupm Etteh, for a second term in the Eket/Esit Eket/Onna/Ibeno federal constituency, with stakeholders from Eket and Esit Eket LGAs refusing to concede it for Etteh, who hails from Ibeno – to occupy the slot for eight years.

“There had never been any second term for any of the four LGAs making up the federal constituency since the return of democracy in 1999. Therefore, it’s the turn of Esit Eket in 2027, and no political exigency will change that,” Hon. Sam Edigheyong, of Etebi ward in Esit Eket, declared.

In Ikot Abasi federal constituency, it’s also a tug of war between the incumbent representative, Hon. Uduak Odudoh, and the other opposing clan, who accused him of trying to usurp their turn.

For the Eket (Akwa Ibom South) Senatorial District,  Hon. Ekong Sampson, is facing stiff opposition, to leave the slot for another zone in the 12 local government areas making up the zone.

In the same vein, constituents of Abak State constituency represented by the speaker of the State House of Assembly, Elder Udeme Otong, are up – in – arms against his third term ambition as the electorates from Midim clan,  have vowed to scuttle the bid over alleged non – performance and political exclusion.

But Speaker Otong, emboldened by the agreement, has vowed that no iota of discordant rhetorics can cow him to submission, disclosing that his third term ambition was not under any form of threat, especially given the fact that the governor had allegedly handed the return tickets of all the 26 lawmakers to him for later disbursement.

However, clearing the air on the burning issue, the governor has come to affirm that the agreement he reached with the elected officials for them to jump ship, remains sacrosanct, warning that anyone who buys form for the purpose of contesting any elected office does so at his or her own risk.

He, therefore, urged them to stop heating up the polity over nothing, as no elected office would be vacant for anybody to contest in 2027.

“Everyone should read the political temperature in the State; nothing like zoning, things have changed.

All the positions in the party remain as it were. So, don’t waste your money to buy form because I won’t compensate you for resigning to contest the 2027 elections.

“We know the agreements we had, and I will keep to those agreements. I don’t know how to lie to people; agreement is agreement,” Governor Eno, had declared before a stunned audience during the March edition of the monthly Government House Prayer service.