APC knocks A’Ibom gov over three-day crusade
The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, on Monday, declared a three-day statewide crusade to celebrate the recent Supreme Court judgment which affirmed his victory in the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the state.
But the opposition All Progressives Congress in the state knocked the governor, describing the crusade as “an unnecessary jamboree.”
Speaking on Monday at the first Government House Prayer Service for the year, 2024, the governor announced that the three-day statewide crusade would be held between February 8 and 10, to show gratitude to God for his electoral victory.
Reflecting on his journey to power, Eno said, “From January 30, 2022, when God led my worthy predecessor, Udom Emmanuel, to unveil me as his preferred successor, all hell broke loose. A number of people said my candidature was dead on arrival. We were confronted with 26 court cases, with eight making it to the Supreme Court.
“Fast forward to today, all those cases were thrown out for lacking in merit, the most current, being the Supreme Court judgment last week that affirmed the mandate our people had given me to be the governor of this blessed land.
“Because God rules in the heart of men, it was the counsel of God that prevailed. We give Him all the glory. In every race, there must be a David. Some had boasted and written us off, but God rules in the heart of men.
“To show his gratitude to God and the collective joy of the people of the state, we have declared February 8, 9 and 10 to be used for a statewide crusade. The three-day event will be capped off on February 11, 2024 when an official Thanksgiving Day will be marked with the theme: My Case is Different,” Eno said.
Eno, who served as Commissioner for Land and Water Resources under Emmanuel’s administration, is a clergyman.
Recently, he opened the multi-billion naira state-owned worship centre built by his predecessor. The project was widely criticised as a misplaced priority.
In reaction to the three-day crusade, the Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of the APC in the state, Otuekong John, described the governor’s plan as a jamboree.
“What Akwa Ibom expect from the governor after the Supreme Court victory is doing things that will translate to better conditions of living in the state, improve education, infrastructure, in agriculture and others,” John said.
