Some Etim Ekpo Leaders Set To Confront Governor Eno Over Zoning Arrangement
By Emmanuel Uffot
Some political leaders in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State are set to engage in a battle with Governor Umo Eno over the forthcoming Local Government Elections, scheduled for October 26.
The said political leaders from Etim Ekpo are members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their grudge with the party leadership in the state is said to have arisen from the Governors insistence that zoning should be strictly abided by in the incoming chairmanship election.
As gathered by SCROLL, Enos inflexible stance on zoning in the Local Government elections is said to have worried Barrister Emmanuel Enoidem, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) immediate past National Legal Adviser of the PDP, because the Governor’s unwavering stand on players abiding by the existing zoning puts him ( Enoidem) at a disadvantage position given his plans to disobey the zoning arrangement in the local government area.
As his clan in Etim Ekpo is not being fovoured by the zoning arrangement to produce next council chairman, Enoidem is said to have resolved not to shift his ground, even if it would result in confronting the governor, in order to have his way in the next Local Government elections particularly in Etim Ekpo.
Another leader from Etim Ekpo, who is said to have joined forces with Enoidem to battle the Governor and the leadership of the party in the state is said to be Ekpuk Eshiet, the current chairman of Etim Ekpo Local Government Council Transition Committee.
Although Ekpuk was appointed by the Governor, his loyalty is said to lie with Enoidem, who recommended him to Eno for the appointment.
SCROLL further learnt that the grudge nursed by a section of PDP leaders in Etim Ekpo against the Akwa Ibom State Governor came to the open on Wednesday July 17, when some PDP leaders from the Local Government Area gathered at the instance of Enoidem to choose a consensus candidate for the party.
Following alleged scheming by Enoidem and Eshiet to influence other party leaders at the meeting to endorse one Gideon Uwa, who is said to be have been serving the former PDP National Legal Adviser for almost twenty years as personal assistant, the meeting was polarized into two factions.
While one faction led by Enoidem is poised to struggle against the Governor’s position on zoning, the other group is supporting the Governor and opposing Enoidem.
As gathered from reliable sources at the meeting, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Prof. Imo Moffat, who is also an indigene of Etim Ekpo, was said to have queried the time of choosing consensus candidate when the Governor, who is the leader of the party and other PDP leaders were yet to arrive at zoning formula for the respective 31 Local Government Areas in the state.
Paraphrasing part of the comment, made by the commissioner at the meeting, the inside source quoted him to have asked. ” Dont you think we should allow the Governor and the leadership of the party to come out with zoning arrangement before we endorse anybody?”.
Maintaining his position, Moffat is said to have refused to append his signature to a document purporting to endorse Enoidems personal assistant as the consensus candidate for the PDP.
Challenging Moffat and others who aligned with the position of the Governor at the meeting, the Etim Ekpo council Transition chairman Eshiet, sources revealed had raised questions as to why the governor should be deciding for Etim Ekpo.
Eshiet was also alleged to have confronted Akaninyene Eyo, a former member of the House of Representatives, who was pointing a number of holes in the alleged plot by Enoidem to give consensus endorsement to his aide.
Eyo was also said to have accused Enoidem of availing Eshiet, the chance to insult him.
Sensing insult from Eshiet, who is younger in age to him, Eyo was said to have walked out from the meeting.
With the action by the former national lawmaker, no fewer than seven persons were said to have equally staged a walkout in the meeting that had about 17 persons in attendance.
Aside restating his readiness to abide with decision that the Governor and the leadership of PDP will take in the council election, Eyo has been adamant in his position on the need for the next chairmanship of Etim Ekpo to be zoned to Uruk clan.
The SCROLL gathered from authoritative source that since 1991, about two years after its creation, elected chairmanship position in Etim Ekpo has been rotated among the five clans that makeup the Local Government Area. Same was applicable in many local government areas.
Maintaining his ground that the next Etim Ekpo Council chairman should come from Uruk clan, Eyo has based his opinion on the fact that the other four clans have got elected chairmen twice except Uruk, where he hails from.
In view of the governor’s directives that zoning should be strictly adhered to, Eyos cause on the matter has gained more acceptability from wider segment of people in Etim Ekpo, to the discomfort of Enoidem who is championing for his Utu clan to produce the next council chairman.
Some stakeholders across the five clans in Etim Ekpo who shared their positions with the SCROLL, stressed that if UTU produces the next chairman, it would create imbalance in the rotational cycle to a point that it would affect the turns of other zones to have their chances at the right time.
It has also been argued that if Utu snatch the next chairmanship position from Uruk, it could take the four clans more than 30 years to maintain a balance in the rotational system.
On his part, Enoidem appears ready to go against the Governor and others opposing his perceived move to install his aide as Etim Ekpo Council chairman in the next dispensation.
As learnt from a source at Government House in Uyo, apart from losing senatorial election in the 2023 General Elections to Senator Godswill Akpabio, Enoidem has lost out in his alleged quest to get juicy appointment in the Eno’s administration.
It was learnt that he was initially said to be eyeing the position of the Secretary to the State Government that he went to Enobong Uwah, who was secretary in the Maintain Peace Movement (MPM), a political organization chaired by Enoidem in clamoring for Eno’s Governorship election.
In the ensuing clash of interest, a number of politically inclined groups have been floated to fight Enoidem while also clamouring for Uruk clan to produce the next chairman.
As earlier reported by SCROLL last Wednesday, Maintain Peace for Etim Ekpo (MP4EE) had alleged in a statement that “The scheming is part of his strategy to maintain grip of his political structure in order to use it in bargaining with the Governors second term ambition, which could also enable him to stop the Governor from standing on the way of his 2031 Governorship ambition
As earlier said by the MP4EE, Enoidem has also been making entreaties to immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel, to clear way for him to install his preferred aspirant in Etim Ekpo.
After visiting the former Governor in Lagos, a source close to Udom in Lagos confided in SCROLL that the banker-turned politician had told Enoidem that since he is no longer the PDP leader in Akwa Ibom, he would not want to work against the instruction of Eno, whom he admitted as being the current leader of the party in the state.
Speaking with the SCROLL on Thursday, July 18, Solomon Udobong, the spokesman of the MP4EE said: “Even though Enoidem has elected not to follow the Governor’s stand on various local government areas and interested stakeholders maintaining the existing zoning arrangement, he should, at least, respect the office of the Governor which he is said to be eyeing to occupy in 2031”.
Udobong also said that the people of Etim Ekpo are crying out for rescue from the grip of imposition and dictatorship that have been characterizing the leadership of the PDP in the area.
According to him, the people are tired of one-man show that has been the hallmark of the party in the local government.
They stressed that the people of Etim Ekpo will no longer tolerate the imposition of a person on leadership position in Etim Ekpo.
“There should be a level playing field for all aspirants, especially those from the rightful clan that should produce next Etim Ekpo chairman”.
With apparent reference to a schedule meeting with the leadership of the party, Udobong said: “We are now resorting to Governor Eno and the PDP state chairman, Aniekan Akpan, to intervene to save Etim Ekpo and the PDP from the brink of collapse.
Udobong further said: “The people of Etim Ekpo are demanding truth and fairness in their political endeavours.
“There is need for all stakeholders to seek truth and reject falsehoods, especially in the upcoming Local Government election.
“The imposition of any aspirant on the PDP should be resisted, as it is a ploy to perpetuate the dominance of one man over thousands of people.
“The Governor and the state PDP chairman must act quickly to restore peace and justice in the party or risk losing the confidence of the people”.
Meanwhile, following the planned stakeholders meeting scheduled to hold with the leadership of the party at Government House, there is apprehension in both camps as to whether the Governor would be swayed by Enoidem to either distort zoning in Etim Ekpo or maintain his much-talked about stance that zoning is the only way to go.
Given the controversy raging on zoning issue which is replicated in many other local government areas apart from Etim Ekpo, former local government chairman of Ibeno said, the current fused raging in many local government over which area produces the chairman is not only expected with the financial autonomy granted the third tier of government but is going to deepened in the coming weeks ahead of the scheduled local government election in the state.