Guber 2027: When Campaign of calumny is not enough

By Solomon Essiet

The Arise Agenda is working. Across Akwa Ibom State, testimonies are coming from citizens of different backgrounds, the privileged and the less privileged, who have felt the impact of Governor Pastor Umo Bassey Eno’s Golden Era blueprint. In the face of visible progress, false narratives from critics continue to fall flat.

Failed politicians have always relied on propaganda and cheap blackmail. That may have worked in the past, but it will not work now. To keep questioning how Governor Eno is deploying state resources, despite his consistent public account of projects and achievements, is not genuine accountability. It is simply an attempt to discredit one of Nigeria’s most performing governors.

On May 29, 2026, the Governor addressed the Akwa Ibom people in a statewide broadcast and highlighted three years of measurable progress. A look at completed and ongoing projects under the Arise Agenda shows a government investing in the right places: agriculture, rural development, infrastructure, security, education, healthcare, housing, transportation and human empowerment.

The applause Governor Eno receives beyond Akwa Ibom only exposes the weakness of his local critics. For most Akwa Ibomites, the state is in good hands. With over ₦700 billion committed to road projects alone, and ₦83 billion paid to clear inherited gratuity backlogs, detractors are running out of arguments.

The numbers speak for themselves. The administration has built 438 Arise Compassionate Homes, delivered nearly 1,000 estate housing units for both elites and the less privileged, procured 50 CNG buses to ease transportation, constructed model primary schools and healthcare centres, reclaimed the erosion-prone Dominic Utuk Avenue into a world-class recreational centre, and completed and equipped the ultra-modern international terminal at Victor Attah International Airport.

The government has also empowered citizens across the 10 federal constituencies. Grants to farmers and traders, as well as over ₦10 billion worth of equipment and vehicles distributed to artisans during the 2024 Town Square Event, have strengthened livelihoods. In Oron, the administration revived a struggling maritime sector with ferry boats, cold rooms and a recreational centre for sea travellers, fulfilling a major campaign promise.

Projects are ongoing across all 31 local government areas. Youth development centres and Chairmen’s Lodges are under construction statewide, alongside model healthcare centres and primary schools. By the end of this term, each LGA will have at least four direct state projects, excluding roads, compassionate homes and water interventions. Which past administration can boast of such delivery within one term?

Calling Governor Eno a “sleeping governor” in the face of this record is not only inaccurate, but it is also insulting. Ironically, if this is what they call sleeping, then Akwa Ibom people should welcome more of it. It is the kind of “sleep” that produces roads, homes, schools, hospitals, buses, jobs and hope. If critics must talk, they should wait their turn and show what they can do.

Beyond ordering 50 CNG buses, the administration built a CNG terminal, erected bus stops in strategic locations, and trained youths in CNG technology and conversion. That is how to build a functional economy. It is not enough to announce projects. A serious government builds a system that makes those projects useful and sustainable.

The records are clear. Over 1,300 kilometres of roads have been completed. The Arise Elderly Citizens Centre has been commissioned. An Equipment Leasing Company has also been launched with over 20 tractors and farm machines, the first of its kind in the history of the state. Yet some naysayers and modern-day Pharisees pretend not to see anything good.

This attitude is disappointing and dangerous for democracy. Today, it is Governor Eno. Tomorrow, it could be another leader who is working sincerely but being distracted by noise, blackmail and bitterness. Criticism is healthy when it is honest, but calumny is not criticism.

No campaign of calumny will stop this administration. Governor Pastor Umo Bassey Eno will complete his eight years, as his predecessors have done since 1999. Since cheap blackmail has failed, it is not too late for detractors to join the moving train. Last, everything is turn by turn.

Arise, that same God.

Pastor Essiet, ACIA, Special Assistant on New Media to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State