Breaking: Gov Eno sacks EXCO Friday, 10 January 

By Joseph Atainyang

Barring any last minute change of mind, the Akwa Ibom State governor, Pastor Umo Eno, will dissolve his Executive Council (EXCO) come Friday, January 10, 2025, WatchmanPost can confirm.
Impeccable government sources confirmed this to WatchmanPost, Monday and Tuesday.
A Government House source said, “Governor Umo Eno has concluded plans to dissolve the State Executive Council on Friday, January 10, 2025. This decision is part of the governor’s effort to restructure and reposition the state for optimal performance.”
Another source who confirmed the development stated, “Frankly speaking, many of the current occupants of the Executive Council have been in their positions for far too long, and it’s clear that the well of fresh ideas has run dry.”
As this medium sought for further confirmation of the development, another source within Government House said with some tinge of exhilaration, “Yes sir! Confirmed!” Asked further if the said dissolution would affect all or only some members of the state cabinet, the source said that the exercise would affect all the members.
“The governor is eager to inject new blood and perspectives into the system, and that’s why this shake-up is both necessary and timely”, yet another source stated.
Enọ appointed the current Executive Council members, most of who, like him, had served under former Governor Udom Emmanuel, his predecessor, in July 2023.
This had attracted grumblings from many citizens, who felt that the appointees ought to have been dropped and replaced by fresh hands with new ideas.
However, Eno thought otherwise, arguing that his then newly-appointed EXCO members deserved to be rewarded for having worked with Gov Emmanuel to achieve his (Eno’s) election victory in March 2023.
At that time, WatchmanPost learnt that the appointees were billed to serve for six months, but political intrigues and interests kicked into play to stop that from materialising.

With some 70 per cent of the commissioners having spent between 5 and 12 years at the Executive Council, it appears that Eno is now ready to bring in fresh faces with new ideas into his administration.
This development is likely to send ripples through the state’s political landscape, as stakeholders and citizens will await the announcement of the New Executive Council members.

This move comes after Eno recently sacked the Managing Director of Ibom Power Company, Engr. Meyen Etukudoh.

Although the decision was criticised by some citizens, owing to multiple revelations of sharp practices in the sector which fairly exonerated the MD, Eno said that his decision was part of a larger restructuring effort to align the state’s power sector with his administration’s ARISE Agenda.