The day Onofiok Luke saved Akwa Ibom Govt House

The stage was set for anarchy. The seat of political power in Akwa Ibom State was on the verge of being invaded, torched, or looted. Desecration of the revered Hilltop Mansion seemed irreversible. One of the greatest threats to Governor Udom Emmanuel’s reelection bid was posed that night.

It was early 2019; January 10, 2019, precisely. That day started like every other day, but assumed a strange dimension in its late hours.

Merriments of the early hours were eclipsed by violence in the late hours.

An endorsement rally in support of the reelection bid of Governor Udom Emmanuel by Akwa Ibom students in tertiary institutions degenerated into riot.

The students, drawn from tertiary institutions across the country, had an assigned action plan: march down the streets of Uyo, scream support for the Governor’s reelection from morning till evening, retire back to your respective bases.

The first two items on the agenda were perfectly executed. Uyo felt the voice of students. They were not to be deterred or discouraged by neither the scorching sun nor observant naysayers who never supported the governor’s reelection bid. Their voices and footsteps sounded like robotic voltrons and chariots.

A very strong statement was made.

Task was executed! The day’s scorching sun retired to its celestial base.

Evening closed in. A couple of hours later, darkness rolled in. The marchers – most of them donning campaign T-shirts, waited in vain for leaders of the student community to “address” them.  It was said that they had absconded; some said they were having a meeting somewhere.

Students mobilized from within and outside the state neither saw crisp ‘malibe’ to at least pay for buses hired for the endorsement trip nor any student leader to address them.

Stranded and hopeless, anxiety birthed anger. They strayed like a fold without a shepherd. They went berserk. From IBB Avenue to Aka Road down to the Government House on Wellington Bassey Way end, cars were smashed, business premises looted and other properties destroyed. Non students joined the fray. Pandemonium enveloped Uyo.

Gunshots and teargas were released by the police, but the mob ignored it all. Some of the students especially the ladies fainted – largely due to the teargas effect. Yours truly as an eyewitness was caught up on Aka Road.

On Wellington Bassey Way, Police officers from the ‘A Division’ Police Station mounted a barricade. They were, however, overwhelmed.

The students made a demand: they wanted Governor Udom Emmanuel to address them. There and then, Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, arrived, cocooned by well-armed security operatives.

He appealed for calm. Dr Ekuwem urged the students to emulate “Governor Udom Emmanuel’s peaceful disposition.”

Angry boos ensued, and the SSG had to be whisked away to safety by his security team.

A team of long jackets’ donning security guys then emerged from the Government House but were promptly beaten up and chased away.

Stones and other items were hurled into the government house even as attempts were made to break into it.

The scenes were sordid.

The Hilltop Mansion stood like a haunted house of exile. It looked vulnerable. It looked desolate. The country was watching. Methinks the presidency would have no wasted time in declaring a state of emergency in Akwa Ibom State. Governor Udom Emmanuel was walking a tight rope. An invasion of the seat of power would have meant concession of power by the governor.

He would have lost every moral justification to seek reelection for a seat he failed to protect. Global history is replete with referential case studies.

As the night wore on, a lone Jeep vehicle slowly waded into the crowd. It was pelted with items. Its driver preserved before grinding to a halt just outside the government house gate.

Onofiok Akpan Luke, Speaker of the State House of Assembly (as he then was), emerged from it, hanging on its door. He had no security orderly with him.

A section of the mob listened to him while another section attempted to shout him down.

A firebrand student leader of yore at University of Uyo, Luke spoke to the students in the language of Aluta. He equally connected with the “streets” who equally turned up.

Luke appealed to everyone to dismiss the idea of invading the government house, and directed everyone to queue on Metro Road adjacent Wellington Bassey Way for refreshments. It was not a plain sail, but the mob finally obeyed. Onofiok succeeded to calm the turbulent waves of violence.

As I left the scene, information came in that Senator Bassey Albert had arrived to assist Rt. Hon. Luke in handling the situation.

Few officials of government later joined, and everyone (students and non students) were attended to.

Dear reader, one day, it would be interesting to hear from Luke how he managed to quell a riot that was beyond the control of security agents. When there was a scarcity of men of courage, Luke stood up and got a nod of approval.

This is no hero-worship. This is no praise singing – far be it from me. This is also not an attempt to massage anyone’s ego. It is just a review of that near-calamitous night when administrative mistakes almost plunged the state into anarchy.

Luke saved the state from anarchy, saved the government house, and without exaggeration, saved Governor Udom Emmanuel.

Rt. Hon. Onofiok Akpan Luke, who is now representing me in the House of Representatives, stood up to maintain peace. May peace reign in Akwa Ibom State!

And may such greed-induced mistake never reoccur in Akwa Ibom State.