A group of stakeholders in Akwa Ibom State has criticized Senate President Godswill Akpabio for spreading false information during a recent church service. According to a communique issued by the Ekid Nation Interest Forum, Akpabio’s remarks were “frivolous, deceitful, misleading, and inciting.”
The controversy arose during a Thanksgiving service hosted by Governor Umo Eno in Eket on February 11, 2024. Akpabio, who arrived late at the event, claimed to have repurchased and redesigned the Qua River Hotel in Eket. However, the stakeholders opposed Akpabio’s claims, accusing him of insincerity and suggesting that his sudden interest in Eket was a political maneuver, considering his recent declaration to capture the governorship seat for the APC in 2027.
The stakeholders emphasized that Eket had taken legislative steps to reclaim the Qua River Hotel, and questioned Akpabio’s claims of repurchasing the property. They expressed a lack of interest in Akpabio’s “cosmetic love” for Eket and asserted their confidence in Governor Umo Eno’s leadership, trusting that he would genuinely contribute to the development of the local government.
The communique further stated that “Akpabio is a wrong person to advise Governor Umo Eno on what to do for Eket people; Akpabio cannot be more Catholic than the Pope, Akpabio cannot cry our cry for us. Good enough, we have a listening leader in Governor Umo Eno, who does not allow ethnic sentiments or other mundane trivialities to put a wedge between him and his plans for the people. We trust that the humble Man of God in the helms of Akwa Ibom State affairs will build an ultra-modern Hotel complex for Eket; he will expand on its infrastructure and will afford us more government presence through industries, a tertiary institution, and other infrastructure to enable our local government to reclaim its past glory as ‘Idung Mfianwe’.
Finally, the group urged Senator Godswill Akpabio to leave Eket alone, stating that they were not interested in his “cosmetic love.”