By Micah Jonah, February 23, 2026
A former senator and the 2023 governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Akwa Ibom State, John Akpanudoedehe, has criticized Governor Umo Eno’s handling of the renewed controversy over the state’s 76 oil wells.
The long-running dispute over offshore oil wells between Akwa Ibom and Cross River states has deepened as both governments restated opposing legal and political positions.
Akwa Ibom State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, dismissed reports suggesting that the oil wells may be returned to Cross River, insisting there was no constitutional or legal basis for such claims.
Cross River Governor, Bassey Otu maintained that fairness must prevail, and his state should not be denied its rights.
Akpanudoedehe faults Eno:
The former senator, leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Akwa Ibom, criticized Governor Eno in a Facebook video, warning of political consequences if the oil wells were lost.
He credited former Governors Victor Attah and Godswill Akpabio for defending the state’s oil interests and alleged a compromise by a federal committee without providing evidence.
“No oil well ceded”— Akwa Ibom government
Commissioner Uko Udom, whose office is handling the oil wells matter, clarified that the controversy stemmed from a misinterpretation of a draft report submitted by a Federal Government inter-agency committee to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
He anchored the state’s position on two Supreme Court judgements, stressing that Supreme Court decisions are final and binding.
“No oil well has been ceded. No Supreme Court judgment has been overturned. No constitutional provision has been amended,” he said.
No cause for alarm — Governor Eno
Governor Umo Eno urged residents to remain calm, dismissing claims of any transfer of oil wells to Cross River.
“There are two Supreme Court judgements that give Akwa Ibom State the right to those oil wells. We are not sharing maritime boundaries with Cross River State but with the Republic of Cameroon,” he said.
Cross River — We won’t be denied our rights
Governor Otu said the state should not suffer economic loss following the ceding of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.
“The ceding of part of Bakassi was for the peace of the country. It was not for Cross River State to lose its oil wells. Nobody can deny us our rights,” he said.
Background:
The oil wells dispute dates back decades, rooted in boundary interpretations following Nigeria’s implementation of the 2002 International Court of Justice judgment that ceded the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.
Akwa Ibom maintains that the ruling removed Cross River’s littoral status and offshore derivation rights, a position affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2005 and 2012.
RMAFC has also refuted claims that any oil wells were ceded to Cross River. Both states and key political actors continue to press their positions as the controversy remains politically and economically significant.
you
