With the conduct of the All Progressives Congress, APC, gubernatorial primaries on May 21, 2026, for the 2027 general elections nationwide, it is now clear that in Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno has secured the ticket for the 2027 governorship election, running on a blueprint of consensus, continuity, and economic transformation.
Overwhelmed by the show of love and the peaceful outcome of the nomination process across the board, Governor Eno, shortly after the primaries, thanked God and the people of Akwa Ibom for the mandate and trust to serve a second term. He reaffirmed that his second term would focus on consolidating existing achievements and completing ongoing projects.
Beyond the speeches and promises, however, critical questions continue to surface: What would a second term for Governor Eno mean for Akwa Ibom State and its people? Is there enough from the first term to justify renewed confidence?
Governor Eno’s first term has been driven by the five pillars of the ARISE Agenda – Agriculture, Rural Development, Infrastructure, Security and Education. Within three years, the administration claims to have achieved about 70 per cent of its set targets.
On roads and infrastructure, available records, 1,034 kilometres of roads, 41 bridges and three underground drainage systems have been constructed or ongoing across the state, including 37.7 kilometres of feeder roads have been built in rural communities.
Beyond infrastructure, thousands of citizens have been empowered through financial grants, equipment support and skills acquisition programmes targeted at farmers, traders, entrepreneurs and youths
No fewer than 4,603 people have benefited from the state’s entrepreneurship schemes – Ibom-LED, Ibom Ignite and DASAC, among others. More so, about 4,600 skilled and unskilled workers have been engaged across different sectors of the economy.
In the health sector, the ARISE Agenda of Governor Eno under the “One Project Per Local Government” initiative has led to the construction of well-equipped model primary healthcare centres across the 31 local government areas of the state with nearly 80 percent already commissioned alongside staff quarters.
The administration has also reactivated and upgraded the abandoned Ukanafun Cottage Hospital into a General Hospital equipped with CT scan facilities and advanced diagnostic equipment. Other interventions include the procurement of dialysis equipment for the Ikot Ekpene General Hospital and the establishment of the Akwa Ibom State Medical Oxygen Production Plant.
The government also established the Akwa Ibom State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, alongside a State Emergency Operations Centre in Uyo. So far, about 16,522 patients across the state are said to have benefited from free medical care.
As an education-friendly governor, he has continued to invest in human capital development through the approval and payment of bursaries, sponsorship of students on the United Kingdom Educational Exchange Programme, and the construction of model primary schools across the state.
The administration also paid ₦79 million to cover tuition fees for four Akwa Ibom students admitted into the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria. In addition, 48,797 students had their 2023/2024 SSCE fees paid by the state government.
Notwithstanding these efforts, Governor Eno has also invested heavily in agriculture, which he describes as the country’s second mainstream source of income after oil. His administration has doled out grants worth more ₦2 billion to farmers in the state.
The government strategically supported 140,764 crop farmers, 798 fish farmers and 5,696 livestock farmers, creating a ripple effect across the agricultural value chain.
Similarly, about 40,900 people benefited from government-sponsored farm inputs, gaining access to seedlings, fertilizers, feeds and farming tools.
A palm crop revolution is also being planned to create long-term wealth for rural households and strengthen the state’s agricultural economy.
Reformation of the state’s civil service, approval of improved salary structures for the state labour. Approval for the employment of six thousand Akwa Ibom indigenes into the state civil service, payment of gratuity backlog of 82 billion naira out of the inherited 111billion, incrase and payment of pensions, and many more.
With one year still left in his first term, Governor Eno’s second-term ambition is expected to accelerate and enable the completion of several “audacious projects,” currently ongoing across the state. Many of these projects are already at advanced stages of completion, including the Ibom International Hospital, Itam Industrial Park, Ikot Ekpene International Market, Ibom City Bus Service, ARISE Palm Resort, ARISE Shopping City, Ibom International Convention Centre, AKBC House and the Oron Maritime Infrastructure project.
More so, the ongoing palm crop revolution and tractor-leasing programme are expected to be completed and commissioned to boost mechanised farming and rural wealth creation across the state. Governor Eno has consistently maintained that agriculture remains the nation’s “second oil well.”
While there are still a lot to yearn for by Akwa Ibom people, there are also a lot to hope for. Governor Eno’s administration is not stopping at nothing, there are numerous economic diversified projects spread across the state. The Governor understands that the people deserve a system that works, that is why his administration is not just rushing “groundbreaking” projects, but laying the right foundation to ensure that every project embark upon by this administration won’t be temporary like most in the past, but sustainable and of immense benefits and profits to the state.
As much as Governor Eno’s first term was primarily aimed at fixing foundational challenges inherited from previous administrations, he has as well laid the groundwork for major projects already, enough has been achieved in his first 3 years in office with more still to come in the remaining one year.
His second term, according to the governor, would focus on scaling ongoing projects and ensuring that every initiative embarked upon by his administration delivers visible impact to the state and the people of Akwa Ibom.
