Akwa Ibom State commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, Chief Uno Etim Uno, has said plans have been concluded to formally quit the cabinet of governor Umo Eno, to pursue his ambition to become the chairman of Urueofong/Oruko local government area.
It was gathered that his resignation letter is awaiting governor Eno’s approval, as he has already been nominated as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship candidate at the conclusion of the primaries at the weekend in readiness for the polls on October 5, 2024.
Although chief Uno, former House of Assembly member had held various positions as board chairman and governor’s aide at various times, the political leader of Urueofong/Oruko, explained that his decision to quit the cabinet for LG chairmanship stems from what he described as a clarion call by his people for service.
“He has sufficient experience in leadership in both legislative and political governance, and by popular demands, we want him to bring such wealth of experience to bear in grassroots administration now that the federal government has granted financial autonomy to Nigeria’s 774 councils,” a youth leader, Comrade Effiong Ating, explained.
But investigation revealed that Chief Uno’s action has not gone down well with some aggrieved youths, elders and stakeholders of the council, who described the move as “greedy and self – serving.”
A PDP chieftain, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted that Uno’s action is a deliberate calculation to give himself a soft – landing, as the governor, according to him, will soon dissolve the cabinet he inherited from his immediate predecessor, Udom Emmanuel, since May 29, 2023.
“Chief Uno, had been in and out of governments for over a decade now, either as elected member of the House of Assembly and serving as Commissioner in different ministries and board.
“I think his action is more of greed than service because as a political leader of the local government, he is already a statesman, who should be contented with the position of being a kingmaker.
“He should retire ceremoniously and groom the young ones to take over, but he’s jittery that he was going to lose his political relevance as soon as he’s dropped from the cabinet in the impeding cabinet dissolution by the governor,” he stated.
In the same vein, another elder and stakeholder of the party in Urueofong/Oruko council, added that Uno’s decision is borne out of fear that he might not be retained in the next cabinet, forcing him to seek alternative choice.
“I think Hon. Uno, is envisaging the quantum of over N300 million allocation accruable to Urueofong/Oruko council in the new regime of financial autonomy after the abrogation of the State/LG joint account.
“That’s the only reason he’s seeking to downgrade his years and age in public service to seek to become the next council chairman, with determined, vibrant and educated youths angling for leadership at the grassroots level,” he stressed.
