A former Senator and prominent chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), John Akpanudoedehe, has called for the immediate resignation of Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State.
The demand follows a wave of protests by the Ekid people over the state government’s controversial handling of the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve dispute.
Akpanudoedehe, who previously served as the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), accused the Governor of employing high-handed tactics to silence dissent.
The former lawmaker’s outburst was triggered by the arrest and subsequent remand of an Ekid princess, God’sown Monday Udoito, who reportedly accused the state government of land grabbing and misappropriation of proceeds from the forest reserve.
“You can’t be acting as a dictator in a democracy,” Akpanudoedehe stated during a briefing on Sunday night. He insisted that the Governor must treat the Ekid people with dignity rather than using state security to intimidate those defending their ancestral heritage.
The tension in the state reached a boiling point on Monday when youths under the aegis of the Unified Youths of Ekid Nation took to the streets of Eket.
Defying stern warnings from the police, the protesters carried placards demanding the release of Princess Udoito and an end to what they described as the “secret sale” of the forest reserve to private investors.
However, the state government, through the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom (SAN), has maintained that the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve belongs to the government.
The state cited the 1918 Privy Council judgment and the 1930 Forest Reserve Order as legal foundations for its authority. However, the Ekid people continue to claim ownership, asserting that the forest is their ancestral land.
Akpanudoedehe argued that the Governor’s inability to tolerate opposing views makes him unfit for office. He specifically pointed to the arrest of the female activist as a sign of intolerance, questioning why the Governor would go to such lengths against a citizen defending communal land.
“If you didn’t arrest your daughter, who accused you of killing their mother, why would you arrest a woman who is only defending their ancestral land? I think the governor should resign from office if he cannot tolerate dissenting opinions,” the former Senator added.
While the Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, has warned against any attempt to influence the judicial process through protests, the Ekid youths have vowed to continue their agitation until their rights are respected and their daughter is released from Uyo prison.
In a related development, the Ekid Peoples Union (EPU) recently rejected the “terrorist” label used by Governor Eno to describe those opposing the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway route through the disputed forest.
The union insisted that defending their environment and land through lawful dissent does not equate to criminal activity.