Facts have emerged showing that two former governors of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel and Obong Victor Attah, who openly raised Governor Umo Eno’s hands at his unveiling in February 2022, have now become the biggest casualties of the political shifts in the state.
The event at the Government House in Uyo back in 2022 was seen as a major show of political force. Emmanuel put his full political weight behind Eno, while Attah gave the endorsement needed to convince elders and key stakeholders across the state.
However, barely two years into the current administration, the political picture has changed drastically. The two leaders now appear sidelined as Governor Eno builds a tight alliance with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
It is a known fact in the state that both Emmanuel and Attah have long-standing political differences with Akpabio, stretching back to the fierce party battles of 2018 and the 2019 general elections.
Speaking with The Guide Newspaper in Uyo, a political analyst in the state, Comrade David Ukpe, said the current political moves in Government House have left the governor’s original political godfathers out in the cold.
Ukpe pointed to the ongoing social media attacks on former Governor Emmanuel, mostly driven by supporters of Governor Eno and Senator Akpabio, as proof that Emmanuel is now taking the heat from the same system he helped create.
“What we are seeing in Akwa Ibom today is plain political self-preservation,” Ukpe said during the interview. “Former Governor Udom Emmanuel stood on the frontline, took all the political bullets, and practically forced Umo Eno on the PDP. Today, he is being dragged daily on social media by people tied to this same government.”
He noted that the public criticism aimed at the immediate past administration, ranging from the state of legacy projects to government spending, is a coordinated effort to weaken Emmanuel’s political influence.
“If you monitor the conversations online, you will see a clear pattern,” the analyst noted. “Supporters of Governor Eno and Senator Akpabio are working together to deconstruct everything Udom did. The goal is simple: paint his eight years as a failure so they can justify this new alignment with Akpabio.”
Ukpe added that Obong Victor Attah, who used his standing as an elder statesman to sell Umo Eno’s candidacy to the state, has also been caught in the crossfire.
“Obong Attah staked his reputation to back Umo Eno because he believed in continuity and the Uyo Senatorial District cause,” Ukpe explained. “For him to watch the governor turn around to hand over the political space to Akpabio, a leader Attah fought politically for years, is a huge slap in the face.”
The analyst dismissed claims that Governor Eno’s close relationship with Akpabio is purely about governance and state development, describing it as a calculated political shift.
“They call it ‘inclusive governance’ and politics of peace, but everyone knows what is happening,” he said. “A new power axis has been created between Uyo and Abuja, and it has pushed out the core PDP leaders who fought Akpabio’s APC in 2019 and 2023.”
He observed that the governor’s body language whenever he hosts or praises the Senate President speaks volumes about where power currently resides in the state.
“Every time the governor praises Akpabio in public while keeping quiet as his team attacks Udom Emmanuel, he is passing a clear message: the past is gone, and loyalty has shifted,” Ukpe said.
According to him, the situation in Akwa Ibom should serve as an eye-opener to political figures who believe in permanent loyalty in politics.
“Udom and Attah gave Umo Eno the platform, the funds, and the credibility to become governor,” Ukpe told The Guide Newspaper. “Today, both men are paying the price. It just shows that in Nigerian politics, your most trusted political creation can easily become your biggest threat.”
