Between Akpabio, Umo Eno, many have hoped for conflict

Emmanuel Nicholas

A large number of people in Akwa Ibom State have been profoundly disappointed because they anticipated that the political interchange between Senator Godswill Akpabio and Governor Umo Eno would erupt into acrimony and disorder.

They expected fireworks and frenzy headlines proclaiming physical confrontations, factional rifts, and an unending struggle for supremacy.

They longed for sensational banners: “Akpabio Exchanges Blows with Umo Eno,” “Governor Umo Eno Splits APC Against Akpabio,” “Akpabio and Umo Eno: The Battle for Leadership Escalates,” and “Senator Akpabio Plots to Oust Governor Umo Eno.” Were such scenes to unfold, those who crave spectacle would have rejoiced.

They would have lauded Umo Eno for standing up to Akpabio; rival camps would have celebrated Akpabio with cries of “owo Annang adi owo Uko.” However, because such turmoil has not materialised, these observers are left bereft, as if under a bewitching spell that binds and consumes the spirit even while the body remains intact.

Their disappointment is profound, expressed in laments akin to a widow mourning a prematurely lost husband. In their frustration, they resort to blackmail and invective, denouncing the Governor as weak and politically ineffectual.

The sight of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, clasping hands with Governor Umo Eno provokes in them metaphorical heart attacks; for many, the leaders’ camaraderie is a recurring source of anguish, so much so that their disquiet seems a chronic ailment.

When the first list of ambassadorial nominees omitted an Akwa Ibom name, these critics seized the moment to belittle the Governor and the Senate President, declaring their ties to the centre hollow. Yet when the second list included Senator Ita Solomon Enang, their voices fell silent as if struck dumb. This pattern reveals that their outrage is often performative rather than principled.

At every meeting where Akpabio attends the Government House, the naysayers cry foul: how could the Senate President demean his office by acceding to the Governor’s invitation?

Conversely, when Governor Umo Eno visits the residence of the Senate President, the same critics accuse him of unbecoming subservience. Their standards are inconsistent, guided more by a desire for confrontation than by principle.

They remind the Governor, with pointed historical references, that Obong (Arc.) Victor Attah convened party stakeholders at his instance when he was governor; they recall that Senator Godswill Akpabio did the same during his tenure; and they note that Deacon Udom Emmanuel also asserted party leadership while governor. From this vantage, they conclude erroneously, in their view, that Governor Umo Eno has bartered away his birthright to Akpabio.

Yet in their zeal, they overlook the fact that Akpabio himself visited the Government House and handed over the entire structure of the APC in the state to Governor Umo Eno, affirming the party chairman’s declaration that the Governor is indeed the political leader of Akwa Ibom. Such acts of deference and reconciliation have been deliberate choices aimed at stabilising the state’s political fabric.

What unnerves this segment of the polity is not humility per se but the Governor’s unapologetic modesty, an unvarnished, uncosmetic humility that has woven a tapestry of peace across the state, free from the infighting and personal acrimony that often scar political life.

That peace, to them, is inexplicable and intolerable because it deprives them of the drama they seek to see.

The cooperation between the two leaders merits commendation. Governor Umo Eno has publicly acknowledged, on multiple occasions, how Senator Godswill Akpabio intervened to prevent Akwa Ibom from losing its oil well.

As at then, Umo Eno was still a PDP governor; he reportedly called him to offer counsel that averted a crisis, an act that should be read as patriotism rather than political calculation.

At a recent wedding reception for the son of the former Dean of Commissioners, Sir Monday Ebong Uko, Senator Akpabio recounted how Governor Umo Eno personally visited his hotel to fetch him and even lent him his private jet when an official plane was unavailable.

Such gestures speak of uncommon humility and reciprocal civility. Yet some aged politicians, steeped in the old ways, sighed in disbelief and muttered, “Umo Eno inamma mkpo nte owo Ibibio,” a local lament that betrays discomfort with such unforced harmony.

Many in the tandem simply cannot appreciate this level of humility. They want Governor Umo Eno to treat Akpabio as an adversary; some members of the Annang political class cling to the belief that Akpabio would not have voluntarily ceded the party’s leadership to the Governor.

But why should brothers and political compatriots be expected to live in perpetual conflict? Why should some citizens root for discord between two leaders whose collaboration promises stability and development?

When provocations and bitterness, such as Pat Akpabio’s public grievances, are amplified and mocked widely, we see how easily rancour is transformed into entertainment.

Yet the more salutary course for the state lies in embracing a new political ethos: one defined by love, unity, respect for constituted authority, and a genuine willingness to build community together.

If Akwa Ibom is to change for the better, it must do so on the foundation Governor Umo Eno seeks to lay—a foundation of cooperation rather than confrontation. This is not weakness; it is enlightened leadership. It invites citizens and stakeholders to participate in collective progress, to put public good above personal score-settling.

Beyond the personalities involved, the larger lesson is about the maturity of our civic culture. Political actors who choose reconciliation and pragmatic collaboration set a superior precedent for governance.

They demonstrate that leadership is not an inheritance to be fought over but a responsibility to be shared for the common weal.

Finally, citizens, party faithful, and the press should resist the temptation to fetishise conflict. Let us instead applaud and protect the calm that permits development and security.

If Akwa Ibom is to realise its potential, its leaders must be judged by their results and their capacity to unify, not by how well they stage their rivalries. Let us embrace the spirit of “come, let us build our land together” and support the work of peace being quietly and purposefully undertaken by Governor Umo Eno and Senator Godswill Akpabio.