Akwa Local Elections: APC chieftain thanks Gov Eno for ‘saving’ Akpabio from ‘political embarrassment’

A chieftain of the All Progressives Party (APC) in Akwa Ibom State has thanked Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State for “saving” the Senate President Godswill Akpabio from “a huge political embarrassment” in the just concluded local elections in the state.

According to the results released on Sunday by the Chairperson of the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission, Aniedi Ikoiwak, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state won the chairmanship election in 30 out of 31 local government areas while the APC won in one, Essien Udim, where Mr Akpabio hails from.

The election was held on Saturday.

“Let me begin by thanking Governor Umo Eno for allowing the APC candidate win the Local Government election in Essien Udim LGA, Senator Akpabio’s LGA,” the APC chieftain, Etim Etim, said in an article he wrote on Sunday about the election.

Mr Etim shared the article in several WhatsApp groups populated by Akwa Ibom residents.

The politician said he had warned the APC members in Akwa Ibom two months ago “not to waste their energy, money and time to contest the council elections because PDP would naturally sweep the polls.”

He said the APC in Akwa Ibom was “too weak, factionalised, demoralised, demotivated and despondent to win any election.”

“By allowing (the) APC to win in Akpabio’s backyard, Gov. Umo Eno has saved the Senate President a huge political embarrassment, cemented the 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,” Mr Etim added.

The election commission initially declared the PDP candidate winner

Meanwhile, the election commission initially declared the PDP candidate as the winner of the chairmanship election in Mr Akpabio’s local government area.

A video clip circulating on WhatsApp groups shows Inyang Atting, the returning officer for the chairmanship election in the local government area, declaring that the PDP candidate, Enobong Friday, scored 55,612 votes while Ntiedo Usoro of the APC scored 686.

“That Enobong Friday of PDP, having complied with the requirement of the law and scored the majority of votes, is hereby declared elected.

“I want to add that Enobong Friday, in addition to scoring the majority votes, had more than 25 per cent in all the 13 wards of Essien Udim Local Government Area,” Mr Atting, a professor of Medical and Public Health Parasitology/ Epidemiology at the University of Uyo, said in the declaration he made apparently on Saturday, shortly after the election.

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But on Sunday, when the election commission released the names of the winners of the chairmanship election, the APC candidate’s name, not the PDP’s, appeared on the list as the winner of the election in Essien Udim.

PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately reach the election commission and Mr Akpabio for their comment.