Political rumours travel in Nigeria like afternoon thunderstorms, sudden and full of noise. In Akwa Ibom, the latest storm whispers that Governor Umo Eno and his predecessor, Udom Emmanuel, no longer walk in step. The gossip has texture, but does it have truth?
Eno insists no. He repeats it like a refrain: Emmanuel is his political father, mentor, and steady hand in the background. Without him, he says, there would be no seat, no title, no chance to steer Akwa Ibom’s future. Gratitude is woven into every answer he gives.
The governor’s recent defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ignited the chatter. Emmanuel, after all, is a loyal PDP man, and politics in Nigeria is rarely gentle about crossovers. Yet Eno waves off the drama. Politics, he argues, is dynamic. Decisions bend with the times.