There is tension in Akwa Ibom State following the withdrawal
of security details attached to the immediate past governor of the state, Mr
Udom Emmanuel over the weekend.
Checks revealed that policemen attached to the two houses of
the former governor in Akwa Ibom have all been recalled.
The development has raised mixed reactions in the state as
some fingered the All Progressives Congress, APC-led State government of being
behind it to coerce the former governor to join the party, while others
believed that the action was a validation that all was not well between
governor Umo Eno and his predecessor, Mr Emmanuel.
Recall that Udom Emmanuel is the political godfather of the
incumbent governor Eno, having played an active role in his election as
governor under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general
elections.
That relationship appears to have waned following Governor
Umo Eno’s defection to the APC.
His godfather, Emmanuel, has remained mute all the while but
only pledged unalloyed loyalty to the PDP.
Mr Emmanuel’s stance to remain in the PDP and work towards
rebuilding the party ahead of the 2027 elections was said to be a threat to the
APC state government hence the move to cripple him.
Distancing itself from the incident, Akwa Ibom government
through the Commissioner for Information, Mr Aniekan Umana in a press briefing,
described as false and misleading media report alleging that it directed the
withdrawal of security personnel attached to the ex-governor.
He said the report
was intentionally fabricated to mislead the public, adding that deployment of
police officers is the sole prerogative of the commissioner of police and not
the governor.
His words, ‘The deployment, reassignment, or withdrawal of
police officers is the exclusive responsibility of the Inspector-General of
Police and the commissioner of Police in each State, and not the duty of any
Governor.
“I can tell you on good authority that the Governor did not
issue any directive to withdraw security operatives from the immediate past
Governor.”
He further noted that all former governors of Akwa Ibom
State are entitled to, and continue to enjoy, their security details as
approved by law.
“To the best of our knowledge, there has been no complaint
or report from any former Governor or their media aides about the withdrawal of
security personnel. The rumour exists only in the imagination of those peddling
it,” Umanah added.
The commissioner urged members of the public to disregard
the baseless propaganda, reaffirming that the peace loving Governor of Akwa
Ibom State remained focused on promoting peace, unity, and good governance
across the State.
Meanwhile, the Special Assistant to former governor
Emmanuel, Barrister Steve Abia, confirmed the withdrawal of the security
details attached to the former governor, but could not tell who ordered the
withdrawal.
He said, “The reality on ground is that if you go to the
Ex-governor’s houses right now, there are no police security men, that is the
truth.”
“Who withdrew the security personnel is what I cannot make
any statement on. So, if you have time we can go there, so you find out,” he
told our correspondent.
However, a pro PDP group,
PDP Advocates for Peace and Justice has described the incident as
politically motivated and a ploy to subdue the former governor.
The Chairman of the group,
Dr Tom FredFish in a telephone conversation disclosed that, “So,
if the state is saying that it does
not know the whereabouts of the security
details in Udom’s place, how does it sound?
“Also, this means a confirmation to the fact that Umo Eno is
having issues with his leader, because never in a time that the federal government can just come and remove
details from a former governor.
“It’s a pity that they have played politics to that extent.
All this is just for them to kill the PDP, not to exist in the state and to see
how they can pocket PDP.
“Udom has come out perhaps to say, no, PDP has to stand as a
party. They are working towards everything
to see that the party collapses in the state.
“But it will not work. PDP
is not anybody’s federal property in Akwa Ibom State.
“My advice is that they should stop panicking and focus on
governance.”
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