*False prophet exposed as driving his blackmail of PDP Govship Candidate – Ntukudeh
*Eno’s popularity soars as former college hopes to produce Governor soon
*Don’t go to court after God has vindicated you, Umo Eno urged
By KEMI KASUMU
An update reaching us from Akwa Ibom politics as campaign season for 2023 general elections ride to a state may have vindicated the exemplary banker and investment expert that is currently Governorship Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, as the man behind attempted blackmail of him has been fully exposed.
Although not unknown before now, Akan Okon, one of the defeated PDP governorship aspirants but who has refused to gallant in defeat although the winner has remained magnanimous in victory, is now being mouthed to risk being jailed should the “unassailable” Akwa Ibom State Hope’23, Eno, make good his threat to drag the “unsure” accuser before a competent court of the land and slam him with charges bothering on over criminal libel for defamation on his person.
Akan Okon, it was gathered, may have realised only too late that he has shot himself in the foot by instituting a suit against Umo Eno without first verifying if the man from Nsit Ubium is actually deserving of his kind of accusation of having no WAEC certificate or not.
Our source hinted that Akan is finding a way of withdrawing the case to avoid being ridiculed in the court of public opinion, a thought that is likely going to put him between the jaws of public ridicule and jail because, unless Eno eventually has mercy to prove the pastor that he is and rescind his plan to go to court and charge him for libel.
Akan Okon, an aspirant who polled only three votes at the governorship primaries, had gone to the headquarters of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Ghana, to search for Umo Eno’s certificate, “only to realise that he has made a fool of himself by alleging that he doesn’t have a certificate”, our source said.
“Yes Akan Okon came to Ghana but we told him that only the owner of the certificate can apply for it as we don’t issue peoples private details to proxies”, a WAEC office source reportedly said while responding to a media enquiry, information of which was further extended to The DEFENDER Newspaper Nigeria Monday night.
According to a source, “How can someone who after filing a case of forgery would now start trying to get evidence to support his claim, whereas what he would have done would have been to first gather his facts before going to drag someone to court?”
Meanwhile, this Akan Okon’s decision to drag Pastor Umo Bassey Eno to court over an allegation of not having a WAEC certificate has continued to draw widespread condemnations from within and outside the Akwa Ibom State especially from Eno’s friends and former colleagues in Lagos and other places, among whom have wondered “How can a banker and investment expert of note be accused of having no WAEC certificate? Such person who accuses him in this regard has incurred the wrath of many establishments which can lead him into unending trouble, should they decide to take the matter of indictment up against him.”
We gathered that Umo Eno was in Lagos few days ago to join other Alumni of Class ‘81 in celebrating with his former school, Victory High School, Ikeja during the occasion of a funeral in honour of the founder of the college.
Those who spoke at the event, most of who are Pastors, including a serving principal of the college, maintained that Pastor Eno has brought so much fame to their college and expressed the hope that God will make him the first old boy from the school to become a Governor of a state in Nigeria.
The get-together dinner organised by Pastor Umo, a former senior prefect of the school, came on the heels of a commendation service of the Late Chief Christian Francis Ikpoola Olaniyan,JP, founder and proprietor of the college, who passed on at the age of 92.
The Victory High School alumni of Class 81 took time to recount with nostalgia, their time in the school and the blessings of God in their lives, 41 years after.
There were more commendations on Pastor Eno by his ex-classmates, who narrated his sterling qualities that stood him out in their school days, urging him to continue victoriously in line with the name of the school – Victory High School.
A souvenir of excellence was presented to the Akwa Ibom State PDP Governorship Candidate by the Global President of the Victory High School Old Students Association, Engr. Seyi Olorunyomi, assisted by Otunba Gbenga Ojurongbe, who is the National President, and Jolayemi Odedele, Principal of the college, with the Alumni describing him as a worthy ambassador of their alma matter.
Dr. Uchena Johnson, another classmate, said he was astonished to see people spewing blackmails against Pastor Eno, who had written examination with them in 1981.
“Enemies of progress concocted a conspiracy theory, that the incoming Governor did not go to school and that our senior prefect and overall headboy of Victory High School class of 81 does not have a school certificate”, he fumed.
“Let me say it here that the incoming Governor did not only graduate in Victory High School, he was an excellent student in character and in academics”.
“Today super Grace found him and we are all gathered to celebrate him. By May next year we will be celebrating the first Governor that Victory High School will be producing,” he said.
Jolayemi Odedele, a serving principal of the school and classmate of Dr Iniobong Essien, Chairman of Ibom Airport Development Company, both of the 1977 set, commended Pastor Eno, saying that he has made the school proud.
Also reacting, a chieftain of PDP, Elder Emmanuel Udosen in his contribution, believes that Akan Okon was not nominated a Commissioner in the State Executive Council on the basis of being endowed with intelligence and leadership quality, rather his emergence was merely a favour on him by his bigger friend and mentor, Governor Udom Emmanuel.
He maintained that a more intelligent and experienced aspirant or politician would have verified his allegations of certificate forgery against the pastor before resorting to legal action.
Elder Udosen, who is the steering committee chairman of Friends of Umo Eno League (FUEL), described Akan Okon’s action saying, “The allegation is simply a character assassination.”
An Internationally celebrated Journalist, Mr. Anietie Usen, on his part, has described Akan Okon’s claim as laughable, wicked and an attempt to tarnish Umo Eno’s image.
Fielding questions on a live radio program, we gathered, Mr. Usen, a former General Manager/Editor-in-Chief of the Pioneer Newspaper and, who had earlier served as Senior Editor with NewsWatch Magazine, urged members of the public to discountenance the Okon’s claim.
Also reacting, Imoh Obot, who made a comment on the social media while reacting to Elder Udosen’s position on the matter, described Akan Okon’s action as “politics taken too far”, while Asuquo Etukudo just put it off as frivolous and baseless.
In the meantime, condemnation has refused to cease of Akan Okon as Mbiatok Itam-born ex-banker and PDP chieftain, Dr Godwin Ntukudeh, said the defeated governorship aspirant is driven to self destruction following fake prophecies that he relies upon.
Dr. Ntukudeh lamented that fake prophecies are responsible for majority of desperate antics by politicians and cautioned the good people of Akwa Ibom State to be wary of the false fortune tellers, who maneuver and cajole their followers into a wild goose chase and leave them parting with their belongings.
At the last check, the case by Akan Okon, which is before the Federal High Court in Uyo, the state capital, comes up on July 18, 2022.
The Gevernorship Candidate, Eno, has been urged to save himself of the stress of having to sue an “unsure” accuser for libel when God has already vindicated with numerous evidences to his academic past as available in the public domain. “The likes of Okon make politics dirty but politics cannot be left to such programmeless people,” a strong supporter in Lagos, who does not want his name in print, assured him.
