In what appears to be a shocking development in the festering political crisis in Akwa Ibom State, the state Governor, Obong Godswill Akpabio, met with his enstranged Secretary to the State Government, Umana Umana, on Tuesday afternoon.
Sources in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, told The Eagle Online that Akpabio and Umana met in the Ewet Housing Estate home of Umana.
Akpabio was said to have driven straight to Umana’s house on his arrival in the state from Lagos State.
Sources said Akpabio left Lagos by air at about 2pm and arrived at Umana’s home at about 3:30pm.
Though it could not be ascertained what the two men discussed behind closed doors, it was learnt that Akpabio is bent on going ahead to sack Umana if he does not resign latest by Tuesday night (today).
As exclusively reported by The Eagle Online earlier on Tuesday, Akpabio has anointed a new SSG-in-waiting after the parting of ways of with Umana.
The new SSG is reported to be the Permanent Secretary, Government House, Sir Etekamba Umoren.
Umana and Akpabio fell out over the former SSG’s decision to declare his gubernatorial ambition without the governor’s consent.
It was learnt that Umana was Akpabio’s choice to replace him as governor in 2015.
However, some of Umana’s loyalists were said to have told him that Akpabio’s decision to send him to the Niger Delta Development Commission was a way of scheming him out.
It was learnt that despite the explanation by Akpabio to Umana that sending him to the NDDC was a way of expanding his political influence beyond the state and providing him a platform to deepen his pocket for the gubernatorial battle, the former SSG never believed the governor.
It was shortly after one of the confidence building meetings between Akpabio and Umana that the ex-SSG declared his gubernatorial ambition.
Policemen on Monday sealed off Umana’s office and he has not been sighted in public since then.
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