A political undercurrent emerged in Akwa Ibom State ahead of the 2027 general elections recently, following a government contractor’s mobilisation of a public gathering to reject Christmas gifts from Ekong Sampson, a senator from Akwa Ibom.
In video clips circulating on social media, Uwem Okoko, the CEO of Hensek Integrated Services Ltd, is seen addressing a crowd of political stakeholders and community people in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, announcing that the senator’s rice and cash gift should be rejected.
Hensek is a company executing major road projects and other construction works for the Akwa Ibom State Government.
Mr Sampson, a lawyer, represents the Eket senatorial district. He hails from Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, which shares a boundary with Ikot Abasi.
“My ward chairperson has whispered to me that he wants to bring the Christmas donation from Senator Ekong Sampson to the people of Ikot Abasi Local Government Area,” Mr Okoko said in the video.
“Will you be able to announce it?” he asked rhetorically.
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He then declared before the crowd, “If what the senator is giving to Ikot Abasi is not good, we’ll return it to him. Ikot Abasi people do not lack money and rice to eat.”
Claiming to speak for the community, he added, “I’m standing here on behalf of leaders and stakeholders of Ikot Abasi, directing that the senator’s rice and money should be returned to him. We do not want it.”
As the crowd hailed him, Mr Okoko proclaimed: “Ikot Abasi (people) have rejected Ekong Sampson’s (Christmas) rice and money.”
Comparisons and political undertones
Mr Okoko justified the rejection by comparing Mr Sampson’s donation to those from others.
“We did not support him to the Senate to come and give Ikot Abasi 60 bags of rice and N2 million. Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has given Ikot Abasi 3,140 bags of rice,” he said.
He then invited a serving federal lawmaker from the area, Uduak Odudoh, to declare his Christmas largesse to the federal constituency, which comprises Ikot Abasi, Mkpat Enin, and Eastern Obolo local government areas.
“I gave Mkpat Enin 300 bags of rice and N5 million; 200 bags of rice and N5 million to Eastern Obolo and 360 bags of rice and N12 million to Ikot Abasi,” Mr Odudoh said, drawing applause.
In another video shared on Facebook, Mr Okoko announced his personal donation.
“My wife, I, and the entire Okoko family will give the people of Ikot Abasi N40 million and 800 bags of rice for Christmas.”
Who is Uwem Okoko?
Mr Okoko’s firm specialises in road and building projects and is regularly patronised by successive Akwa Ibom State administrations. Due to his financial strength, he is widely regarded as a highly influential politician in the state, often supporting candidates seeking elective office.
Senator Sampson hails from Mkpat Enin, which is in the same federal constituency as Ikot Abasi.
Akwa Ibom State’s 31 local government areas are divided into three senatorial districts: Akwa Ibom North-West (10 LGAs), Akwa Ibom North-East (9 LGAs), and Akwa Ibom South (12 LGAs), where Mr Sampson represents.
While Mr Sampson reportedly donated N2 million and 120 (25kg) bags of rice to each local government in his district, Aniekan Bassey, the senator representing Uyo district, is said to have donated N1 million and 200 (25 kg) bags of rice to each LGA in the district.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is expected to deliver more to his constituents, given his antecedents.
2027 calculations and democratic concerns
Politicians in the state believe the public rejection of Mr Ekong’s Christmas gifts may be linked to manoeuvres ahead of the 2027 elections. Some alleged that Mr Okoko opposes Mr Sampson’s second-term ambition and may be positioning to support another aspirant from Mkpat Enin. Others argue that such a public embarrassment would not have occurred without the backing of powerful interests within the state.
Beyond political rivalry, analysts say the incident highlights a deeper governance failure. Under Nigeria’s constitution, lawmakers are elected to make laws, represent constituents, and conduct oversight of the executive—not to compete in seasonal distributions of rice and cash.
By framing representation around largesse, critics warn that politically connected contractors risk distorting democracy, weakening legislative accountability, and shifting power from elected officials to wealthy individuals whose influence is rooted in access to public contracts rather than the ballot.
They caution that if unchecked, such practices could reduce governance to a marketplace of handouts, erode civic understanding of lawmaking, and undermine the very foundations of democratic representation.
Solomon Okpo, a journalist and publisher of The Evangelist newspaper in Akwa Ibom, said what the contractor, Mr Okoko did to Senator Ekong was a public humiliation that cheapens people’s voice, instead of strengthening it.
“If the gift was considered inadequate, the mature and responsible route was dialogue, expectation management, or even quiet augmentation. What played out instead was a public spectacle that projected entitlement, not leadership.
“More troubling is the fixation on rice empowerment. Elevating food handouts as the metric of representation mocks the poor and entrenches dependency. It is the politics of subsistence, not progress,” Mr Okpo stated in a Facebook post on 26 December.
“Ikot Abasi deserves and should demand schools, industries, jobs, infrastructure, and legislation that unlock economic value, particularly for its coastal and industrial communities. That is the standard by which representation should be judged.
“Context matters. Senator Ekong Sampson covers multiple local governments and has, on record, disbursed over N100 million in scholarships across the district alongside other empowerment initiatives,” he added.
“We reject rice so that we can have the infrastructure,” a Facebook user, Nene Affia, commented on Mr Okpo’s post.
Senator Ekong and the contractor, Mr Okoko, did not respond to our reporter’s calls and text messages seeking comment on the matter. The two men are among those who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, along with Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom in June this year.
The Commissioner for Information in Akwa Ibom, Aniekan Umanah, did not respond to our reporter’s calls and text messages.