A’Ibom Guber 2023: What does the Church want?
In 2018, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Deacon Udom Emmanuel had solicited the church leaders to pray God to reveal a successor to him. That request preceded his public declaration that he will not hand over the reins of governance in the state to a cultist or occultist, howsoever.
His determination not to be succeeded by a cultist or occultist was stemmed from the bad experience of the previous administration. It is now a common knowledge that throughout the previous administration, cultism festered.
Related cult violence like kidnapping and murder were commonplace; the killing of children for ritual sacrifices, the desecration of hallowed church auditoriums and shedding of innocent blood of the congregants were noticeable features of that administration. Akwa Ibom State was always in the news for violent crime and cult activities.
The security situation in the state then was so frightening that churches stopped holding late evening and night programmes for fear of members being abducted by cultists, as many pastors, including Rev. Ntia I. Ntia, Apostle Akan Weeks in Uyo, were abducted. We were to later learn that ritual sacrifices were made around strategic locations of the state and in the government residences.
On assumption of office, it took months of restorative prayers by this administration during its early days to rid the state of those idolatrous overhangs. And being a Christian state that Akwa Ibom is, preventing the repeat of the dark days of King Ahab when idolatry reigned in Israel, was the beginning of wisdom for Governor Udom Emmanuel in the state. Just as Andrena Sawyer on church leadership wrote: “The fear of offense is a really small price to pay for freedom.”
Furthermore, the governor had advised church leaders not to tell him who God was revealing as his successor but quietly pray, so God could reveal the successor to him. That was a good leadership wisdom to avoid confusion, as many a pastor or prophet might throw up whoever they wanted to succeed the governor. I must say here that the Church leaders had accepted that challenge and went to pray.
I was privileged to attend many of such prayer meetings and can attest that indeed the church leaders in the different meetings did pray God to reveal a successor after his own heart to the governor.
Kind enough the governor received the revelation of Pastor Umo Eno as his preferred successor. He didn’t foist the pastor on the people but presented him to major stakeholders of the state, cutting across church fathers, traditional fathers, the political fathers, among others, who applauded the choice of Pastor Umo Eno.
Pastor Umo Eno came with a towering profile of competence, character and capacity to excel in office as the governor of Akwa Ibom State after this administration. He is a thoroughbred entrepreneur and minister of the Gospel, with more than forty years of active service to the kingdom of God.
He started off receiving Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at 9, while being tutored by his late mother. Growing up in the Apostolic Church as an interpreter, he was given dozens of prophecies on how God would use him in the leadership of his state. But being a conservative and an entrepreneur with primary focus in wealth and job creation, he didn’t bother about governance and politics, until when God touched his heart to accept to serve the state, first as Executive Director of Agricultural Investments under Akwa Ibom Investment Corporation (AKICORP) and later as Lands and Water Resources commissioner in 2019 and 2021.
Given the uproar, the countless court cases to stop him which have all crumbled, his choice as the next governor after God’s heart should be obvious too, not only church leaders whom the governor gave the mandate to pray for a godly successor with competence and capacity, the entire Christians should wake to the understanding that the hand of God is indeed involved in the emergence of Pastor Umo Eno.
Additionally, the Christian community should bear in mind that God is also a God of circumstances. He uses circumstances to tell his will or affirm it. If the emergence of Pastor Umo Eno wasn’t resisted vehemently by others who wanted the same status, then it wouldn’t have been God.
When God sends you on an errand, the enemies will oppose you; using whatever methods available to fight. The assurance, however, is that the God who sent you on assignment will defend and back you up to surmount resistances. This is what has unfolded before all in the travails of Pastor Umo Eno, as the PDP governorship candidate for the March 11, 2023.
God, having so graciously given us this destiny-driven entrepreneur pastor; then what does the church want?
Follow me in the next presentation, ‘What Does the Church Want?’
