2027: Akwa Ibom LP Candidate Bush Visits Attah At Brother’s Burial
By BASSEY BENSON
MICHAEL Bush, the Labour Party’s candidate for the 2027 Akwa Ibom governorship election, has paid a condolence visit to former Governor Victor Attah following the burial of Attah’s younger brother, Etim.
The meeting took place at the former governor’s country home in Ikot Akpa Ndua, Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area.
Bush arrived with his running mate, Salome Ignatius Matthew, and some supporters. Photographs from the funeral showed him exchanging greetings with Attah.
Udoma Ekarika, Attah’s son-in-law and former Akwa Ibom commissioner for works, also featured in the photographs.
While the visit was primarily to offer condolences, it came against the backdrop of growing political activity ahead of the 2027 governorship election. Bush has emerged as one of the candidates positioning for the contest.
Attah remains an influential elder statesman in Akwa Ibom politics. He governed the state between 1999 and 2006 and is widely associated with several major infrastructure and institutional projects from that period.
Despite withdrawing from active partisan politics, the former governor has continued to attract political consultations. His role in Akwa Ibom’s political conversations was also evident in 2022, when former Governor Udom Emmanuel presented Umo Eno to selected stakeholders as his preferred successor.
Bush said he regarded Attah as a valuable source of political experience. Nevertheless, he stopped short of claiming that the former governor had endorsed his candidacy.
Instead, the LP candidate said politicians seeking to lead the state could draw from Attah’s experience, expertise and exposure.
The visit followed Bush’s recent call for residents to assess Akwa Ibom’s development since the state was created. Marking the state’s 39th anniversary, he argued for a broad review of how ordinary residents had fared over the years.
He also used the occasion to outline part of his political message, promising to pursue wider prosperity if elected and saying his administration would seek to break the influence of political godfatherism.
For Bush, the political journey began under the PDP before he moved to the Labour Party. He previously served as an aide to former Governor Emmanuel and secured the LP governorship ticket in the party’s 2026 primary.
With the 2027 contest already generating political activity in Akwa Ibom, the meeting with Attah adds another notable encounter to the early campaign period. However, the condolence visit itself does not establish any endorsement of Bush’s candidacy.
