Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno has debunked reports that he appointed his daughter Helen Obareki as acting First Lady following the death of his wife Patience Eno.
Mrs Eno died at a hospital on September 26, 2024, surrounded by family members.
Last Friday, when the first lady Oluremi Tinubu visited him, the governor told her that Mrs Obareki-Eno, his wife’s special assistant, would coordinate the first lady’s office.
Eno said on Sunday at the All Nations Christian Ministry International in Eket that the decision came out of a more natural outcome, adding that it would be one of the ways he would find comfort.
He stressed that first ladies were not appointed and that attention would be given to his wife’s pet project Golden Initiative For All among others.
“Please listen to me and listen well, first ladies are not appointed, they come with the governor. I made a statement, and I would like to repeat that statement for the avoidance of doubt,” he said.
“Our daughter Mrs. Helen Obareki will coordinate the office of the first lady. She had been with the mother from the beginning, and you heard the first lady of the nation, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, say ‘The mother introduced her to me’.
“So appointing her as the coordinator is not an appointment of a first lady. You don’t appoint a first lady.
“So, by appointment, she is a senior special assistant to the governor and the coordinator, office of the first lady. This is not political, it is natural.
“All I pray for is support and wisdom for her to be able to ensure that none of those programmes will die and that she will bring more insight and innovation to the office.”