The PDP Advocates for Peace and Justice (PAPA-J) have sharply criticized the All Progressives Congress (APC) Media Network following a press statement that attacked Mr. Michael Bush. Bush had reportedly reminded Governor Umo Eno of his earlier commitment to servant leadership, a promise made during his gubernatorial campaign.
PAPA-J expressed “utter disappointment” at the APC Media Network’s reaction, stating it was “both laughable and tragic that a group parading itself as a media network would have the temerity to caution a citizen for merely restating the Governor’s publicly declared commitment to servant leadership.” They highlighted that Governor Eno had “practically demonstrated by serving the people in humility during the campaign era.”
The group referenced a report by Joe Effiong in The Sun Newspaper, published on November 8, 2022, where Governor Umo Eno, speaking at the kick-off of his governorship campaign in Uyo, “clearly promised to provide service instead of rulership to sustain peace, security, and development for the state if elected in 2023.” PAPA-J emphasized, “Those were not the words of Michael Bush. They were the Governor’s own words. When did reminding a leader of his own words become an ‘attack’?”
The controversy stems from a recent report where Governor Eno allegedly chastised Akwa Ibom residents with the remark: “Am I your receptionist? Who are you that I should even pick up your phone? It’s even an insult to be saying that to a governor, that I’m not picking your calls.” PAPA-J noted the stark “contrast between those campaign assurances and such recent statements,” raising “legitimate public concern.” They asserted that Mr. Bush’s reminder was “ingenious, responsible, and entirely within the bounds of democratic engagement,” not an attack.
Dr. Tom Fred Fish, Chairman of PAPA-J, and Mr. Saviour Uko, Secretary, signed the statement dated March 5, 2026. The group advised the APC Media Network to “channel their energy into learning useful skills or trades,” calling them “jobless busybodies who would rather function as professional sycophants than contribute meaningfully to public discourse.” PAPA-J saluted Mr. Michael Bush for his “courage in speaking truth to power” and urged the APC Media Network to “abandon intimidation tactics and adopt an an issue-based approach to debate.” They concluded, “Akwa Ibom deserves servant leadership not hostility toward the very people leaders swore to serve.”
