The Akwa Ibom State government has denied reports alleging that Governor Umo Eno ordered the withdrawal of the security personnel attached to his predecessor, Udom Emmanuel.
Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, described the reports as false and misleading, insisting that the deployment or withdrawal of police officers does not fall within the powers of any governor.
Special Assistant to the ex-governor confirmed reports that the policemen attached to the former governor had indeed been withdrawn, though he could not ascertain who gave the directive.
“The reality on the ground is that if you go to the ex-governor’s residence right now, there are no police security men, that’s the truth,” Abia said.
“But who withdrew them, I cannot say.”
Speaking with Government House correspondents in Uyo, the Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, said Gov. Eno had no hand in the withdrawal of Emmanuel’s security details.
He said that “the deployment, reassignment, or withdrawal of police officers is the exclusive responsibility of the inspector-general of police and the commissioner of police in each state, not the duty of any governor.
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“I can tell you on good authority that Governor Umo Eno did not issue any directive to withdraw security operatives from the immediate past governor,” he clarified.
He further added that all former governors of the state continue to enjoy their security details as approved by law.
“To the best of our knowledge, there has been no complaint or report from any former governor or their media aides about the withdrawal of security personnel.
“The rumour exists only in the imagination of those peddling it,” Umanah said.
He appealed to members of the public to disregard what he called “baseless propaganda,” stressing that Gov. Eno remains focused on promoting peace, unity, and good governance across the state.
The former governor, until Gov. Eno defected to the ruling APC, was in a good relationship with the governor and was his mentor, and played a key role in Gov. Eno’s emergence as governor under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023.
However, their relationship is believed to have strained in recent months following Gov. Eno’s reported defection to the APC.
