Governor dismisses Cross River’s renewed claims as propaganda, expresses confidence in President Tinubu’s commitment to rule of law…
Governor Umo Eno has reassured residents of Akwa Ibom State that the ownership of the disputed oil wells remains legally settled, insisting that no amount of agitation or political sentiment can override two binding Supreme Court judgments in the state’s favour.
Speaking to Government House correspondents on Sunday upon his arrival at the Victor Attah International Airport, the governor addressed the renewed controversy over the offshore oil wells being contested by Cross River State.
The dispute dates back to 2008, when Nigeria ceded the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon following an international court ruling, a development that rendered Cross River non-littoral and significantly altered its access to offshore oil revenues. In 2012, the Supreme Court awarded 76 oil wells to Akwa Ibom State. However, Cross River has continued to challenge the outcome, arguing that updated mapping and geological data now place 67 of those wells within its territory.
Governor Eno dismissed those claims, maintaining that the highest court in the land has already spoken twice.
“There are two Supreme Court judgments that give Akwa Ibom State the right to those oil wells,” he said. “We are not sharing maritime boundaries with Cross River State but with the Republic of Cameroun, and the Nigerian Supreme Court has affirmed that position.”
He urged residents to remain calm, stressing that there was no cause for alarm despite what he described as attempts to stir public sentiment.
“People can cook up any story they want and push propaganda, but propaganda cannot stand against two clear Supreme Court decisions,” he stated. “This is not about emotions; it is about established legal facts.”
Reaffirming his confidence in the federal government’s commitment to due process, Eno expressed trust in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying he believes the administration will uphold the rule of law.
“I believe in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I believe that the rule of law will be respected. We cannot discard Supreme Court judgments delivered twice on the same matter,” the governor said.
He further argued that if the debate were to be driven by sentiment rather than law, it could open the door to broader territorial disputes.
“If we begin to rely on sentiments, then Cross River State could also question why several Ibibio-speaking communities in Itu Local Government Area are part of Akwa Ibom,” he noted. “Why raise emotional arguments now when the facts on the oil wells have already been conclusively established?”
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has also debunked reports suggesting that the oil wells had been ceded to Cross River State, describing such claims as false and misleading.
Backing the commission’s position, Governor Eno reiterated that legal facts cannot be rewritten through public pressure.
“Facts are sacrosanct,” he said. “They cannot be swept aside with sentiments. Our people should remain calm because we have a President who respects the rule of law.”
As tensions resurface over a dispute many believed had been settled, the governor’s message was clear: the courts have ruled, and Akwa Ibom’s claim stands.
