Ata Ikiddeh, a close ally of Nigeria’s Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has predicted a “political war” in Akwa Ibom State in 2027 between the Governor, Umo Eno, and his predecessor, Udom Emmanuel, despite the governor’s contrary remarks.
He said the former governor is leading a political opposition against is successor.
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“Here is the bottom line: PDP wants to end Governor Eno’s reign. The ex-governor is leading that charge. It is not personal. It is politics. Are you going to let him?”
Mr Ikiddeh made the allegation in a Facebook post on Tuesday, where he likened Mr Emmanuel to “Egypt,” a Biblical metaphor for a place of bondage and oppression, warning that his once-loyalists (Eno’s aides) who now serve him in secret are “dining with Egypt — and will perish with Egypt”.
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One of many attacks
Mr Eno previously served as a commissioner in Mr Emmanuel’s cabinet before the former governor unveiled him as his preferred successor and rallied the state political machinery to secure his victory in the 2023 elections.
However, in June, Mr Eno defected from the PDP to the APC, while Mr Emmanuel remained in the PDP and is likely to become an opposition leader in Akwa Ibom politics.
About two weeks ago, Mr Emmanuel returned to Akwa Ibom for the first time since his successor defected to the APC. The former governor, who lives in Lagos State, was in Akwa Ibom for the burial of his cousin.
At the airport, he was received by several politicians, including some of Governor Eno’s aides who previously served in his administration.
Mr Ikiddeh has now aimed at the governor’s aides for the second time in less than two weeks, questioning their loyalty to the governor.
Earlier this month, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Ikiddeh, along with Anietie Ekong, a media aide to Mr Akpabio, called for sanctions against the officials who publicly welcomed Mr Emmanuel.
“What I found most disturbing and concerning are the appointees of Governor Eno who trooped out to welcome their former boss and rubbed it in our faces where their allegiance and loyalty stand. They stumbled over themselves to take selfies with the former governor and, without qualms, splashed (the photographs) in our faces on social media; their bodies may be with Governor Eno, but their hearts are with Mr Emmanuel,” Mr Ekong wrote on Facebook about Mr Emmanuel’s visit, calling out the appointees of Governor Eno to “state whom they shall serve: their present boss or the former boss.”
Governor Eno confirmed to an online newspaper, Policy and Politics, he had read the piece by Mr Akpabio’s aide, but said he would not fight his predecessor.
“For me, those to watch out for are not those who pay respect to our leaders in the open. It is those who sneak surreptitiously to tell lies and plant evil seeds and yet come to smile with you,” the newspaper quoted Mr Eno as saying.
Latest attack, opposition allegations
In his latest attack, Mr Ikiddeh drew inspiration partly from Governor Eno’s remarks to Policy and Politics newspaper that the real danger comes from those who “sneak surreptitiously to tell lies and plant evil seeds, and yet come to smile with you.” He also referenced the theme of Mr Eno’s church annual conference, which was taken from Isaiah 31:3.
The passage reads: “Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; And their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will fall down; they all will perish together.”
According to Mr Ikiddeh, the governor’s choice of this scripture was not a coincidence or routine preaching but a deliberate battle cry.
He argued that Mr Emmanuel has now become Egypt. “When Egypt falls, all who help Egypt will fall with him. This is a direct warning to those openly or secretly aiding his schemes,” he declared.
While acknowledging Mr Emmanuel’s role in once “anointing” Mr Eno as his successor, Mr Ikiddeh insisted that history has since cast the former governor as an adversary. “The very man who once anointed the king is now the leader of the opposition. That is the sword of irony,” he wrote.
‘Political war’
Before joining the APC, Mr Eno repeatedly said he was not running the state through the prism of partisanship, maintaining that political parties are merely vehicles for seeking election.
And after joining the ruling party, Mr Eno introduced “Akwa Ibom United,” a phrase he used to refer to governance across party lines, into the APC slogan in the state, apparently to convince people that his policies are not party-based.
In his article, Mr Ikiddeh offered a different meaning of the phrase and predicted a political war in the state.
“And in that storm, will you still be chanting ‘Akwa Ibom United’ while clinking glasses with the adversary? Akwa Ibom United is a noble mantle — but let us not lie to ourselves. Its true meaning must be Akwa Ibom United for APC 2027. APC will not shout ‘Akwa Ibom United’ just to hand over defeat in 2027. The platform belongs to Governor Eno. It is his terms, his vision, (and) his banner.
READ ALSO: Eno raises Akwa Ibom budget to N1.65 trillion, declares state of emergency on health
“Make no mistake: a political war is coming to Akwa Ibom State. Some of you are not ready. Some of you are still pretending. But war does not care for pretence. You cannot stand on both sides of the battlefield. You must choose your master. Even God Himself says: You cannot serve two. You will love one and hate the other. You will cling to one and despise the other.”
Commenting further, Mr Ikiddeh compared the situation in Akwa Ibom with that in Delta State, where former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa defected to the APC along with his successor, adding that the story has played out differently in Akwa Ibom.
“A new Caesar sits in Rome. A new Napoleon wears the crown. Alexander rides the horse. The future belongs to him, not the past. The old master has become the adversary. In Delta State, father and son walked as one family.
“In Akwa Ibom, it is not so. Here, loyalty is fanatical. Here, men will die for what they believe. And today, the old master has chosen to remain in the old kingdom. His mission now is simple: to kill, to steal, and to destroy the reign of the new King. It is not personal. It is politics. The winner takes it all. The loser stands small. If you deny this, you are not realistic — you are delusional,” he said.
Mr Emmanuel’s spokesperson, Stephen Abia, when contacted, asked our reporter to call back, but failed to respond to further calls hours later.
The Commissioner for Information in Akwa Ibom, Aniekan Umanah, did not respond to a request for comment on the political war predicted in the state by Mr Ikiddeh.
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