Ekperikpe, Enang emerge favourites to land ministerial job
Akwa Ibom politicians under the political platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) are engaging in last-minute lobbying and horse-trading to land the coveted statutory ministerial slot for the state.
With Ministerial list set to be unveiled on Wednesday during senate plenary (or at most before end of this week), the politicians who are eying the job have intensified their lobbying and have kept tabs with topshots in the Aso Villa who are mostly close aides and political allies of President Bola Tinubu in order to get into the list.
Those jostling for the ministerial slot from Akwa Ibom former SSA on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Sen. Ita Enang, former senatorial aspirant, Obongemem Ekperikpe Ekpo, former MD/CEO of NDDC, Barr. Effiong Akwa, immediate past Minister for Niger Delta, Obong Umana Okon Umana, APC gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 general election, Obong Akanimo Udofia, and former senatorial candidate of APC, Dr. Ndem U. Ndem.
The paper understands that most of the aforementioned politicians have been frequenting the Aso Villa to pile pressure on the linkmen who are pushing for their nomination.
TheMail learnt on good authority that Obongemem Ekperikpe Ekpo is the preferred candidate of the senate president, Sen. Godswill Akpabio. The former governor of the state is said to have promised Ekperikpe the ministerial slot in June 2022 when he lobbied for his (Ekperikpe’s) withdrawal from the APC senatorial primary for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District. Ekpo, a former Member of the House of Representatives subsequently yielded to Akpabio’s plea and withdrew from the race, paving way for Chief Akpabio to emerge the party’s candidate.
“Those of us in the Senate President’s camp have already started calling Ekperikpe ‘Hon Minister’. Akpabio has nominated him for the slot already”, said our source.
But this paper can report that Sen. Ita Enang is not resting and has been intensifying his lobbying for the slot. Enang who is widely connected has been exploiting reach network across the country to make sure he gets the Akwa Ibom ministerial slot. TheMail learnt that Enang has the backing of Aso Rock topshots including the wife of the President, Remi Tinubu.
A source hinted our reporter on Tuesday that immediate past MD/CEO of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Barr. Effiong Akwa also hopes to be favoured by Sen. Akpabio. The source revealed further that Akwa has spent loads of millions of Naira and thousands of dollars in lobbying perceived influential figures who could help in realizing his aspiration.
Obong Akanimo Udofia who has a case in election petition court against the election of Pastor Umo Bassey Eno is hoping to land the ministerial job while waiting for the outcome of the case which will likely drag till early next year at the Supreme Court. Though some of Akan Udofia’s campaign team members have denied his (Akan’s) interest in the ministerial job, our reporter learnt that he is strongly lobbying for it, with the popular saying “a bird in the hand is worthy two in the bush” at the back of his mind.
For Obong Umana Okon Umana, he served as Minister for less than a year, from July 2022 to May 2023. He is hoping to return to the cabinet but he is being marked as a Rotimi Amaechi loyalist which is counting against him.
Dr. Ndem U. Ndem who contested for the Uyo Senate seat under APC in the 2023 general election is also pressing buttons to ensure he gets in. In his argument, since Godswill Akpabio from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District is the number three man in the country, the ministerial slot should go to Uyo or Eket senatorial district. The certified Podiatric surgeon from Nsit Atai LGA is an ardent supporter of President Tinubu and served as a member of the medical team of the Tinubu/Shettima presidential campaign council.