A socio cultural group in Akwa Ibom state, Ekid Peoples Union, EPU, has berated the Paramount Ruler of Ibeno local government area Professor’ Effiong Archianga for speaking unfairly about the immediate past governor of the state Udom Emmanuel.

According to the Group the Paramount Ruler had in a recent interview described Udom Emmanuel as the worst governor the state had produced and who did nothing for his Ibeno people throughout his eight years tenure.

EPU in a statement made available to newsmen weekend in Uyo and issued by its President General, Dr. Samuel Udonsak
said it’s deeply concerning that the Monarch has chosen to use his exalted position to peddle unfounded allegations against the former governor.

According to Dr. Udonsek, what “Professor’ Archianga seeks to portray is definitely nothing more than an attempt to distort history and destabilize the peace that Governor Udom Emmanuel worked so hard to institute, nurture and protect.

” One must wonder what would prompt such a diatribe against a former governor who has since completed his tenure peacefully and given his successor the free hand to implement the ARISE Agenda across the state.

“Records speak for themselves and cannot be erased by propaganda. For instance, before the emergence of Udom Emmanuel, no road had been constructed in lbeno.

“It was Governor Emmanuel who constructed a 19.5km dual carriage road linking Ibeno to Eket Local Government Area, opening up the region for commerce and development.

” it is also unfair for the Monarch to posit that no Ibeno son served in Udom’s government as Commissioner, whereas that government first appointed Mr Ekpenyong Enyinna as Commissioner before appointing Chief Okpolupm Etteh as his successor.

“This same governor ensured that for the first time in history, an illustrious son of Ibeno rose to become the highest political office holder in the entire Eket Federal Constituency

“These are not indications of a “worst governor”; they are legacies of a governor who believed in equitable development and fairness. Contrary to the Paramount Ruler’s bitter rhetoric, Udom Emmanuel’s government was a beacon of inclusive governance”

The EPU emphasized that under Udom Emmanuel’s leadership, every local government area, including Ibeno, witnessed road projects and infrastructural development as he ruled for the entire Akwa Ibom, restoring peace and prosperity and giving every citizen a renewed sense of belonging

The group therefore noted that the utterances by Archianga were designed not to build, but to tear down, and they stand in stark contrast to the verifiable records of Udom Emmanuel’s tenure.

It recalled that governor Emmanuel did not just build roads and bridges; remodeled and equipped Twelve general hospitals in the state, brought back to Life the Itam Multi specialty Hospital is a testament to his belief in governance as a tool for vice.

“He may not have faired well in upsetting all the arrears of gratuities owed civil servants, but he never owed them pensions. To describe such a leader as “the worst governor” is either the product of a mind clouded by age-related forgetfulness or of a heart hardened by greed and a phobia for peace.

“History will remember Governor Udom Emmanuel as one of the best governors Akwa Ibom has ever produced, a governor who left the state better than he met it. While political opportunists sow division, he sowed peace and unity. Governance is not about noise: it is about impact.

“And the impact of Udom Emmanuel’s administration is etched in the roads we drive on, the hospitals that save lives, the jobs that feed families, and the peace that binds communities.

“Let those who thrive on crisis find another stage for their performance. Akwa Ibom has moved beyond bitterness and division; it is on the path of progress, built on the solid foundation laid by leaders like Udom Emmanuel”, The group asserted

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/06/epu-berates-monarch-for-describing-udom-emmanuel-as-worst-gov-of-akwa-ibom/