Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno has moved to put to rest weeks of speculation about a falling out with his predecessor, Deacon Udom Emmanuel, insisting that his upbringing and personal values will always guide how he relates to past leaders of the state.

Speaking at the second memorial service held in honour of his late wife, former First Lady Pastor Patience Eno, at the All Nations Christian Ministry International in Eket, the governor said he had demonstrated his regard for Emmanuel both publicly and privately and would not allow anyone to suggest otherwise.

He described the respect he holds for his predecessor and other former governors of the state as a lifelong orientation rather than a political convenience.

The governor’s remarks were also aimed at quelling a controversy that had gained traction on social media in recent days, after comments he made during the commissioning of a 14.8-kilometre road project in Onna Local Government Area were interpreted by some as a veiled swipe at Emmanuel. Eno explained that his response at the event, which touched on a request from the area’s paramount ruler concerning two comatose industries, a syringe factory and a flour mill, had been directed solely at the owners of the businesses and bore no connection whatsoever to his predecessor.

He also clarified that the Ibibio word “Unadot,” which had circulated widely in the aftermath of the event and was read by some as derogatory, simply translates to “people” and carried no hidden insult.

Governor Eno used the same road commissioning, held in Awa, Emmanuel’s home community, to publicly honour his predecessor, noting that completing a project his “boss” had originally started was itself an act of gratitude.

He has repeatedly credited Emmanuel, whom he refers to as his political godfather, with lifting him into public office despite the odds, maintaining at previous events that politics was never a path he had chosen for himself but one into which Emmanuel had guided him.

The governor’s latest comments come against the backdrop of persistent rumours that his relationship with Emmanuel has cooled since he took over the state’s leadership in 2023, a narrative he and his aides have blamed on political actors seeking to sow division ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Eno has consistently pushed back on such claims, warning that mischief-makers will not succeed in driving a wedge between him and any past administration in Akwa Ibom, and framing unity among the state’s political families as central to the peace his government has worked to sustain since assuming office.