The Akwa Ibom State branch of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr. Ekerete Udoh, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Umo Eno, have rejected claims that the governor commended Atiku Abubakar for his alleged involvement in the controversy regarding President Bola Tinubu’s purported fake certificate from Chicago State University.
Speculation had arisen on social media that during the PDP stakeholders’ meeting in the state on Tuesday, Governor Eno expressed admiration for Atiku’s role in unveiling what was alleged to be a forged certificate held by Tinubu.
However, the PDP, in a statement released by its Publicity Secretary, Borono Bassey, dismissed these reports as a deliberate attempt to entangle Governor Eno and the party in a legal matter that is currently under judicial review. Bassey stressed that since the case was sub judice, neither the governor nor the state-level PDP was qualified to comment on it. He further indicated that as the governor is not directly involved in the lawsuit, he would patiently await the court’s decision and would respond with the customary respect and deference to the court’s judgment.
Mr. Udoh, on his part, affirmed that the governor remains nonpartisan and questioned the accuracy of the report, suggesting that it was intended to tarnish the strong relationship between President Tinubu, whom he referred to as the nation’s father, and Governor Eno. Udoh challenged the authors to provide video evidence of the governor making such statements and emphasized that there was no mention or discussion of such a topic at the PDP Stakeholders’ meeting held on that day. He stressed that Governor Eno, as a pastor, refrains from engaging in trivial conversations, upholds respect for constituted authorities, and has a history of working across party lines, demonstrating a commitment to avoiding partisan rhetoric.