“All Tickets Are Already in My Pocket”: Akwa Ibom Speaker Boasts Ahead of 2027 Election

• The Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Udeme Otong, is trending on social media for the wrong reasons
• Otong dropped a bombshell by publicly declaring the outcome of the 2027 election into the State Assembly in a viral video
• The lawmaker representing Abak State Constituency said all the 26 House of Assembly tickets are already in his pocket ahead of the 2027 election

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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues

Akwa Ibom State - The Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Udeme Otong, said the outcome of the 2027 legislative elections has already been decided.

Otong claimed that he has the power to determine the All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirants to be elected into the state assembly.

The Akwa Ibom State has 26 lawmakers in the state assembly, with 24 APC members and 2 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members.

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He boasted that no one would become a member of the state Assembly without his approval.

As reported by Premium Times, Otong stated this during a courtesy visit by the Ibom Grassroots Development Initiative to his country home in Abak Itenge, to mark his 2025 birthday.

“All the 26 House of Assembly tickets are already in my pocket. I single-handedly negotiated for them, no one else. No one else did. I will personally choose who becomes a House of Assembly member and hand the ticket to the person from my pocket.”

In the viral video, where the Speaker spoke in his Annang dialect, he said: “No one will emerge without my approval.”

Otong added that the APC tickets would be given to individuals with whom Governor Umo Eno would be comfortable working with.

It is unclear whether Governor Eno or the ruling APC made such concessions to the speaker.

Otong’s move would effectively render APC primaries meaningless.

Akwa Ibom lawmakers reject motion to ban dog meat consumption

Recall that the member representing Etinan State Constituency, Hon. Uduak Ekpoufot, sponsored a bill for dog meat consumption to be banned in Akwa Ibom State.

Ekpoufot argued that poorly processed dog meat exposes consumers to dangerous pathogens such as rabies, salmonella, trichinella, and other parasites.

The lawmaker got the shock of his life as members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly refused to second the motion during plenary.

Akwa Ibom Governor Eno bans masquerade displays

Legit.ng also reported that Akwa Ibom state governor, Umo Eno, ordered a statewide ban on masquerade displays, citing concerns over public safety and alleged harassment of residents by masquerade groups.

The governor instructed local government chairmen to exclude masquerades from all cultural presentations during the state’s Christmas festival, which would begin on December 1, 2025.

Eno, a pastor, accused some masquerade groups of using the cultural practice to terrorise people, extort money, and disrupt peace in parts of the state.

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