A government contractor and political figure in Akwa Ibom State has sparked controversy by publicly mobilising residents of Ikot Abasi Local Government Area to reject cash and rice gifts from Senator Ekong Sampson ahead of the 2027 elections. In videos circulating on social media, Uwem Okoko, CEO of Hensek Integrated Services Ltd, urged community members to turn down the senator’s donation of N2 million and 120 bags of rice, saying the gifts were demeaning and inadequate relative to what other leaders had provided.
Okoko, whose company executes major state infrastructure projects, told gathered stakeholders that the community should decline Sampson’s offering, asserting that locals “do not lack money and rice to eat.” He also compared the senator’s gesture unfavourably with larger donations made by the State Government and other elected officials during the festive period.
Political analysts see the dramatic rejection as entangled with intra-party rivalries and election positioning, noting that it publicly undermines a sitting senator’s goodwill ahead of a critical election year. Critics of the stunt argue that such public spectacles risk reducing political representation to handouts and “cheap theatre” rather than substantive development outcomes — a concern raised by local observers who say leadership should be judged on infrastructure and policy, not seasonal largesse.
Senator Sampson and Okoko were not available for comment as of press time, and local government officials have yet to issue an official response to the rejection claim.
