Akwa Ibom not involved in opposition harassment – NISMA boss

By Steve Oko The Akwa Ibom State Government has denied allegations of intimidation and harassment of opposition politicians, insisting that the state provides a peaceful and inclusive political environment for all parties ahead of the 2027 general elections. The Chairman of the Nigeria Institute for Social Media Analysts (NISMA), Akwa Ibom State chapter, and Special Assistant on Media to Governor Umo Eno, Venerable Richard Peters, said the governor had consistently advocated peaceful and issue-based political engagement.

Peters, who spoke with Vanguard on the sidelines of a two-day forum for journalists, NISMA members and media executives organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu, said Eno had warned his aides against any conduct capable of promoting political violence. He was reacting to reports of alleged harassment of opposition supporters during recent political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.

Peters, however, maintained that Akwa Ibom was not involved in such incidents, suggesting that reports circulating might have confused the state with a neighbouring state. “Akwa Ibom has never been in the news for any bad reason. We have a very free political ambience for all political actors. We are open to all politicians because the governor has made it so,” he said.

According to him, Eno had repeatedly directed his aides to promote peace, warning that anyone unwilling to uphold the administration’s commitment to peaceful political engagement risked being sacked. “The governor has been preaching peace. Anywhere he goes, his body language is peace. He even told his aides that anybody who will not carry his message of peace will be fired.

“He does not want violence and does not support abuse. His position is that political actors should go on issues. Whatever programme or initiative you have, tell the people what you intend to do and how you will do it. Don’t resort to propaganda,” Peters said. He explained that the governor’s position was aimed at ensuring that political competition in the state focused on policies, programmes and development alternatives rather than personal attacks.

Commends INEC’s media engagement Peters also commended INEC for organising the media engagement, describing it as evidence of the commission’s commitment to credible elections in 2027. He said the presentations and capacity-building sessions at the forum showed that the commission was putting measures in place to deliver free, fair and credible elections.

He particularly praised INEC for addressing the communication gap between the electoral body and the media, noting that limited access to official information sometimes compelled journalists to rely on unverified reports on social media. He said the engagement would strengthen professional and ethical election reporting by improving journalists’ access to credible information.

Drawing from Akwa Ibom’s experience, Peters disclosed that Governor Eno, under the state’s ARISE Agenda, had directed commissioners and heads of government agencies to hold regular media briefings to provide information on government policies and projects. On voter participation, he said the state government had partnered with INEC to mobilise eligible residents for the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and encourage registered voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards.

He explained that the mobilisation cut across party affiliations, with vehicles deployed to communities to convey prospective registrants to registration centres. He added that local government chairmen had also supported the exercise by extending the mobilisation to village levels. Peters expressed optimism that sustained voter mobilisation, peaceful political engagement and INEC’s collaboration with the media would contribute to credible elections in 2027.