The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made a clean sweep in the local government election held in Akwa Ibom State on Saturday, September 5, winning all the chairmanship positions in 30 of the 31 council areas of the state while the All Progressives Congress (APC) won in Essien Udim.
As of Sunday when the results were announced, the PDP won the chairmanship seats in all the area councils, including Essien Udim which is the local government area of the senate president, Mr Godswill Akpabion.
The returning officer for the local government and professor of medical and public health parasitology and epidemiology at the University of Uyo, Inyang Atting had on Saturday declared the PDP candidate, Mr Enobong Friday as the winner of the chairmanship election in the local government.
While Friday scored 55,612 votes, the APC candidate, Mr Ntiedo Usoro had 686.
“That Enobong Friday of PDP, having complied with the requirement of the law and scored the majority of votes, is hereby declared elected.
“I want to add that Enobong Friday, in addition to scoring the majority votes, had more than 25 per cent in all the 13 wards of Essien Udim Local Government Area,” stated.
However, on Sunday when the Akwa Ibom State Electoral Commission (AKSIEC) published the names of the victors in the exercise, Friday ‘lost’ while Usosro’s name appeared on the list as the winner of the election in Essien Udim.
Although the commission has yet to explain the ‘anomaly’ on the winners’ roll, NewsGazette gathered that the substation of the PDP candidate’s name with that of his APC challenger was a trade-off meant to save the senate president from the embarrassment of being a politician who has neither roots nor grass to qualify as a grassroots politician.
It was also gathered that the governor and the senate president had entered into an alliance which will be unfolded in 2027.
A stalwart of the APC in the state, Mr Etim Etim, said much of this when he commended the state governor, Mr Umo Eno, for being a face saver to Akpabio’s political reputation in the election.
Commenting in several WhatsApp groups peopled with Akwa Ibom indigenes, Etim wrote: “Let me begin by thanking Governor Umo Eno for allowing the APC candidate win the Local Government election in Essien Udim LGA, Senator Akpabio’s LGA.
“By allowing (the) APC to win in Akpabio’s backyard, Gov. Umo Eno has saved the Senate President a huge political embarrassment, cemented the cordial relationship between the two leaders and formally signalled the nature of the game that would be played in 2027.
“A political alliance is being constructed between the senate president and the governor, and this will shape the politics of 2027.
