Sunday June 8, 2025|
By Dennis UDOMA
The Ibeno group on Sunday tackled Eket Local Government over their Paramount Ruler’s comments on the abysmal performance of former Governor Udom Emmanuel.
The altercation follows the recent appraisal of Udom’s era by the Paramount Ruler of Ibeno, Prof. Effiong B. Archianga (JP), who rated the performance of the immediate past governor as abysmal and far below average.
HRM Effiong B. Archianga, in an interactive session with newsmen in his Palatial home in Ibeno, dwelled on both state and national issues, where he decried Ex – Governor Udom’s administration as anti – people; an administration which sowed seeds of discord, created divisiveness and strife, and also promoted ethnicity, with a low development index.
The Royal Majesty further said that the Ex – Governor Emmanuel who ruled Akwa Ibom from 2015 to 2023, specifically served two terms from May 29, 2015 to May 29, 2023, left the State poorly governed; citing his failed attempt in remapping of Local Government boundaries in the oil bearing communities of Mbo, Eastern Obolo and Ibeno Council areas, where villages were wrongly ceded into another with selfish interest, leading to communal crisis, violence and bloodshed, as one of the unpopular decisions of his era.
The royal father also pointed at the “Absolute Monarch Law”, which placed the Ibibio Monarch, the Paramount Ruler of Nsit Ubium and Oku Ibom Ibibio, as the live Supreme Monarch in the state, against the hitherto rotational arrangement, thereby fueling ethnic animosity, disunity, violence between the three major tribes of Ibibio, Annang, Oron and Obolos, where the title usually rotated.
However, Eket neighbours, in their expression of differences to the scorecard, condemned the Paramount Ruler’s critical disposition of the administration as lies borne out of hatred and sentiments.
They argued that the former governor’s achievements were widespread across the 31 LGAs including Ibeno, with road infrastructure and political appointments to Udom Emmanuel’s credit.
In a release sponsored by Dr. Samuel Udonsak, who is the president of Eket People’s Union, the president faulted the revered monarch as not making his assessment with good conscience.
Dr. Udonsak described the Paramount Ruler’s remarks as inflammatory, and had the potential of stoking the embers of violence and asked for recant.
But, an Ibeno apex socio – cultural organization, the Ulok Ulok Progressives Assembly (UUPA), expressed dismay at the attack on their Paramount Ruler by Eket, wondering how his views on national and state issues expressed within the constitutionally guaranteed right in Nigeria should be the concern of the Ekets.
The Secretary of Ibeno Clan Council (ICC), Chief Udofia Okon Udofia, who spoke on behalf of the group, wondered when and how the Eket people suddenly became the megaphone and the mouthpiece of former Governor Udom Emmanuel. Chief Okon Udofia described the president of Ekid People’s Union as the proverbial petrel whose noise always spells doom as he was fond of dashing into Akwa Ibom State from his safe haven in Port Harcourt to incite his people to attack Ibeno. It must be stated that Eket and Esit Eket stood at the vantage positions to curiously benefit from the evil and criminal map which Udom Emmanuel attempted, albeit inexorably, to foist on the state. Perhaps, Udonsak has not recovered from the disappointment, and fears that such a map may never see the light of day.
According to them, “The Paramount Ruler, Prof. Archianga on June 3, 2025 was addressing the media on some issues of national interests, and congratulated Nigerians on 26th years of uninterrupted democracy; Governor Umo Eno and President Bola Tinubu on their two years in office as Governor and President respectively.
“He admonished the political office holders to be more circumspect in the discharge of their responsibility to the masses, encouraged Pastor Eno, to lead Akwa Ibom progressively by joining forces with President Tinubu and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio in order to attract more dividends of democracy to Akwa Ibom State.
“Back home in the State, he also took a critical look at the immediate past administration of former Governor Udom Emmanuel for his unimpressive eight years as governor, and leaving behind his ill -conceived and controversial remapping of three LGAs of Ibeno, Eastern Obolo and Mbo”.
He also pointed at the controversial “Tenure – for – Life” the former governor accorded only one ethnic group as head of the apex traditional institution in the state, and encouraged the current Governor to prioritize the welfare and peace of the masses over personal gains.
Chief Udofia, therefore, frowned at the meddlesomeness of Dr. Udonsak and the so-called Eket Integrity Alliance (EIA) for intervening in the matter instead of allowing the parties concerned to defend themselves.
The Ulok Ulok Progressives Assembly (UUPA) listed the Pencil Industry,
Paper Industry,
Plastic Industry,
Toothpick Industry,
Bamboo Industry,
Syringe manufacturing Industry, importation of high breed
Mexican cows for the dairy industry,
Car Assembly Plant,
Garri processing factories,
Fertiliser blending plant,
Rice farm,
Peacock Paint and
Coconut Oil Refinery as some of the failed legacies and abandoned projects of Ex – Governor Udom’s administration.
While calling on Dr. Udonsak to point out where the above mentioned projects can be found today in Akwa Ibom after the inglorious exit of their initiator, he warned the raucous medical doctor and Eket Integrity Alliance to desist from further attacks on their Paramount Ruler for daring to speak truth to power no matter whose Ox was gored, as such would not be taken lightly.
