Fall-out of LG election: Gov. Eno lobbies candidates with contracts, appointments

UYO______In a bid to pacify aggrieved candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Essien Udim, Senator Godswill Akpabio’s local government where the local government election was visibly ceded to the Senate president to avoid what pundits described as political embarrassment, Governor Umo Eno has lobbied candidates of the just concluded local government election with contract and appointments.

While the chairmanship candidate, Enobong Patrick was offered a contract, the vice chairmanship candidate is to be appointed as Special Assistant (SA) to the governor. Seven councillors, whose victories were allegedly traded off to the APC, are to be appointed Personal Assistants (PA) to the governor.

It is learnt that the meeting, where the decision was taken, had in attendance the governor’s kitchen cabinet members such as the Secretary to State Government, Mr. Enobong Uwah, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Frank Archibong, and the state government’s favourite contractor, Engr. Uwem Okoko of Hensek Integrated Services.

During the meeting, our sources disclosed that a case was also made for the chairmanship candidate, Engr. Enobong Patrick to be given an appointment, possibly as Commissioner or Board Chairman in addition to the contract award.

The governor however failed to make a promise to that effect, but instead said he will give it a thought.

Analysts described this move by the governor as an effort to placate the PDP stakeholders and faithful in the local government who felt humiliated and betrayed by him for trading off their victory to APC in order to sustain his current political romance with the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

The PDP candidates swept the election as was announced on Saturday evening by the Returning Officer sent to the local government by Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKSIEC).

According to the result announced by the Returning Officer, Prof. Inyang Ating, the PDP chairmanship candidate scored 55,612 votes, while the APC candidate harvested a paltry 686 votes in Senator Godswill Akpabio’s local government.

But in a swift twist, the governor is said to have reached an understanding with the Senate president to concede the local government area to him in order not to embarrass him.

Unconfirmed sources said Akpabio earlier demanded concessions in four other local government areas in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District. This, our correspondent learnt, was blatantly rejected by the governor’s political advisers.

To the shock of many followers of the election and the consternation of the Essien Udim PDP faithful, AKISIEC, on Sunday morning, announced the APC candidate, Hon. Ntiedo Usoro was the winner of the election.

In the horse-trading, the governor is said to have thrown the party in the LGA and its candidates under the bus. Seven councillors seats were traded off to the APC while PDP was given six seats.

In a press conference on Monday by AKISIEC, the APC candidate who had earlier scored 686 votes was to have amassed 51,751 votes while the PDP candidate’s votes reduced from 55,612 to 22,799.

In a more dramatic twist, the chairman of AKISIEC, Aniedi Ikoiwak, during the press briefing held at AKISIEC headquarters, Uyo, disowned the Returning Officer, who announced the PDP candidate as winner.

It is learnt that since then, Prof. Ating’s life has been under threat as he has gone into hiding. It is also learnt that security men stormed his residence and retrieved the duplicate copy of the result sheet.

According to information, the doors of his house in his hometown were broken down by the security agents earlier this week during the mad search for him. Efforts to retrieve the duplicate of the result sheet from the Professor of Medical Sciences, according to our findings, are to kill all evidence of electoral fraud in case the PDP candidate decides to drag the matter to the election petition tribunal.

It is gathered that the governor had earlier this week sent emissaries to the political leader of the local government and a PDP chieftain, Chief Michael Afangideh in an effort to pacify him, as he is said to have been livid and humiliated by the governor’s action.

The PDP chairmanship candidate, Engr. Patrick was Chief Afangideh’s choice. One of our sources told our reporter that Chief Afangideh feels the governor doesn’t have enough regard for his age and pedigree, because he was not even hinted about the political trade-off.