2019: EX- COMMISSIONER ENOIDEM VOWS TO UNSEAT UDOM IF....

The endorsement of Governor Udom Emmanuel for a second term by a cross section of the PDP supporters in Akwa Ibom State may suffer a setback in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District if the threat of former Commissioner for Housing and Urban Renewal, Barrister Emmanuel
Enoidem to work against the governor in 2019 is taken serious.

Enoidem is believed to be lobbying for the position of a deputy governor and is threatening to withdraw his support and that of his followers if the governor fails to replace him with the incumbent, Mr. Moses Ekpo in 2019.

He is also said to be nursing a Senate ambition in 2023.

According to investigation, the former Commissioner is holding meetings with people believed to be loyal to him with a view to strategizing on how they can force the governor to concede to his demand.

Part of his strategy according to a source close to his camp is to reach out to stakeholders close to the former governor and current Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio to accept him as the next deputy governor since the position is still within the purview of Abak Five.

The source further named Sir Emem Akpabio as the arrowhead of Enoidem’s inordinate deputy governorship ambition.

Sir Emem Akpabio who is linked to the frosty relationship between Senator Akpabio and some Ibibio Leaders wants to use Enoidem to extract a pound of flesh from the governor because he no longer controls the machinery of government as was the case under Akpabio for eight years.

However many stakeholders from the Senatorial District who are aware of the surreptitious move of the former
Commissioner have risen in support of the 2019 ambition of the governor and Moses Ekpo as the deputy.

While asking whether Enoidem has any intention to eliminate the deputy governor for him to succeed, they have
equally warned him to stop using the name of the Minority Leader as one of the supporters of his cause as the former governor is not someone who is known to
support mediocrity and greedy ambition.

A staunch supporter of Team Udom/Moses from Etim Ekpo Local Government Area who preferred anonymity queried the rationale behind the former Commissioner’s campaign to be deputy governor when the sitting deputy governor did not have issues and has not been found wanting in the discharge of his functions.

According to him, for the period Enoidem served as Commissioner under Akpabio and Udom, no indigene of Etim Ekpo
where he comes from had access to government House because of his attitude.

“He didn’t want anybody from Etim Ekpo to benefit from government. How can such person even dream of occupying a sensitive position like the deputy governor? Whose interest would he serve?” he asked.

A vox pop carried out revealed Mr. Enoidem as a power drunk politician who relied on backstabbing and blackmail
to get what he wants.

He is believed to be the brain behind the numerous political crisis that has enveloped Etim Ekpo for the past sixteen years.

Some of them recalled the role the former Treasurer of the PDP played
during the 2006/2007 party primaries that saw the emergence of Godswill Akpabio as the flag bearer.

Enoidem was a well-known supporter of Dr. Udoma Bob Ekarika and only catapulted when he realized that the
struggle by the former governor Obong Victor Attah to swing the primary result in favour of Ekarika did not succeed.

A female staff who worked in the office of the Secretary recalled how Barrister Enoidem made the then Secretary Mr. Anietie Ekong to organize a press
conference where the party disowned the result of the primaries won by Akpabio.

“The funny aspect is that Enoidem did not attend the media briefing and when
Akpabio eventually won the election, Ekong who was closer to Akpabio became the sacrificial lamb while Enoidem was nominated as the Party’s candidate to the State Executive Council,” she stated.
Speaking in the same vein, a chieftain of the PDP recounted his ordeal during the heydays of Enoidem as Commissioner under Akpabio.

He explained that his style of politics was vindictive.

He disclosed that Enoidem became an Exco member of the PDP through Engineer Linus Ekon who introduced him to Obong Attah but he later rebelled against his benefactor when he felt he had consolidated himself in power.

He revealed that the former Commissioner is fighting the battle now with those he victimized when he was in office because his political career and relevance has come to an end adding that he never in his lifetime anticipated that
he could lose relevance to this extent in his Local Government.

According to him, the people of Etim Ekpo have come to realize that his deputy governorship ambition is a threat to their political future and have assured the governor that they would do all within their powers to ensure that he does not succeed in his evil plan.

He added that because of him, the likes of Barrister Chris Okorie, Barrister Paul Ubom, Barrister Nse Ekanem and many more could not be considered for appointments during the tenure of Godswill Akpabio because he never allowed anybody to get close to the
system while some who could not tolerate his antics left the party.

“This is the reason the youths who have been victimized are now rising up against his autocratic domination and telling him enough is enough,” he said.