Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong has debunked claims suggesting that Governor Umo Eno intends to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting the governor’s recent comments were merely an expression of personal support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Otong made this clarification on Thursday while addressing reporters at a legislative capacity-building workshop organized by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) for members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly in Abuja.
Reacting to growing speculation sparked by Governor Eno’s recent remarks applauding President Tinubu’s performance, the Speaker stressed that the comments should not be taken as an indication of defection.
“He (Akwa Ibom governor) is not saying so (defection to APC). He’s saying that he’s supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because of his good works. And he said it’s personal, if you listened very well,” Otong stated.
The governor had in recent weeks openly commended the President’s leadership and development efforts, drawing interpretations from some quarters that he was positioning himself to switch political allegiance. However, the Speaker dismissed such claims as unfounded.
Otong reiterated that recognizing the President’s achievements should not be politicized or mistaken for a shift in party loyalty.
“So if Tinubu is doing very well, we have a leader in Akwa Ibom State who says he is doing very well.
“All of us have said Tinubu is doing very well, and we are going to support Tinubu for his second term, and you know, this second term is just for the South.
“The Northerners have got their eight years, so the South must also have theirs. But Tinubu is doing very well,” he added.
The Speaker also commended the federal government’s fiscal policies, noting that they have enabled state governments to operate without recurring loan requests.
“As the Speaker of Akwa Ibom State, there’s no time the governor has brought any loan facility request for us to approve for him.
“So that means the President is doing very well for making sure that the governors in each of the states have a lot of money to manage the state, and that’s why you see peace everywhere,” Otong said.
He described the ongoing workshop as an opportunity to equip lawmakers with the tools necessary for effective governance, adding that the public expects high performance from the legislature.
“If you go through my address, it is about building capacity for us to do better.
“The people are expecting a lot from the legislature. The people who voted you into power are looking for something better.
“So NILDS is where you have the people that give you the right background, the right things that you need to go and do in your state. That’s why we are here,” he explained.
The Speaker also pushed back against perceptions of legislative bodies as rubber-stamp institutions, stressing the importance of collaboration over confrontation in governance.
“I don’t think any legislative arm of government is a rubber stamp. People are seeing our collaboration with the executive.
“We are not going there to fight. We are going to work out modalities that every Nigerian, every Akwa Ibom person, will have food on their table.
“We are not going there to fight, and no law comes out without a public hearing.
“Then how are we a rubber stamp? The public will be involved in any law that is coming out.
“The public will be involved in anything that we do in the Houses of Assembly and even the National Assembly.
“So it is just a collaboration with the executive and the legislature so that we come out with something better for the country and the state,” he added.