Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno has come under criticism following his public endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in office.
The governor, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had on Tuesday expressed support for Tinubu’s re-election bid during the flag-off ceremony of the Akwa Ibom segment of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.
The endorsement has sparked outrage, and recently from human rights lawyer and political activist, Inibehe Effiong.
In a strongly worded press release titled “Governor Umo Eno and His Irresponsible and Witchcraft Endorsement of President Tinubu for Re-election,” Effiong described the endorsement as shameful and hypocritical.
“The trending embarrassing video of Governor Umo Eno endorsing President Bola Tinubu for a second term should not come as a surprise to anyone who has been paying close attention to the destructive political culture and the cancerous partisanship that have been evolving in Akwa Ibom State,” Effiong, an Akwa Ibomite stated.
He accused Eno of abandoning the role of an opposition governor and aligning himself with what he called “the most terrible, incompetent and dangerous regime in Nigeria’s modern history.” Effiong further argued that the endorsement came at a time when Nigerians are grappling with the economic hardship and alleged nepotism under Tinubu’s administration.
Effiong also criticized the perceived alliance between Governor Eno and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, saying both PDP and APC in Akwa Ibom have formed an “unholy marriage” driven by a hunger for power and control, not service to the people.
“None of these surprises me,” Effiong added, “what sickens me is the sheer hypocrisy. Umo Eno parades himself as a pastor. But he has no fear of God in him. He speaks nicely, but acts exactly like the typical Nigerian politician.”
He alleged that the governor uses “petty acts of philanthropy” to mask incompetence and deceive the public while warning that the endorsement does not reflect the views of the people of Akwa Ibom.
“I urge Nigerians and Akwa Ibom people to ignore the self-serving endorsement,” Effiong concluded. “He didn’t speak for me. He spoke for himself. I reject his witchcraft endorsement.”