76 Oil Wells Issue: Gov Eno Says No Cause For Alarm

….No Political Solution Can Overturn NSC Judgement

By Patrick Titus, Uyo

The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno has called on the indigenes of the state to remain calm on the 76 Oil Wells Issue as the two valid judgments of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the matter remain sacrosanct.

Governor Eno made the declaration on Friday in Uyo during the second anniversary celebration of the Golden Initiative For All (GIFA), a pet project of his late wife, Patience.

His declaration came on the heels of the media reports that Akwa Ibom may lose 76 Oil Wells to Cross River State following a report before the Federal Government Inter-Agency Committee to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

Reassuring further, Governor Eno said no political solution nor committee can overturn the two existing valid judgments of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Akwa Ibom State would not cede an inch of its Oil Wells to anyone

“Let me take this moment once again to reassure our people, concerning the much- talked about oil wells. Let me say this loud and clear: there is no cause for alarm concerning our God-given resources.

“We have two Supreme Court judgments affirming our state’s ownership of the 76 Oil Wells. No committee, no government parastatal and no political solution can overturn the Supreme Court judgment. Akwa Ibom State does not have a maritime boundary with Cross River State but with Cameroun.

“Any attempt to shift that boundary will be tampering with the International Court of Justice’s judgment, and Nigeria as a law-abiding country, will never go there,” Gov Eno emphasized.

He expressed trust in the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he described as a strong lover and believer in the rule of law, declaring that “Akwa Ibom State will not cede any inch or one oil well belonging to the state to anyone.

“Our society is guided and shaped by the rule of law. Supreme Court has given its ruling twice on the oil wells issue in our favour, and those rulings are sacrosanct. And, those oil wells belong to Akwa Ibom State.

The Governor went on to reaffirm the support of the government and people of Akwa Ibom State for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, stating that, “we are rooting, supporting and campaigning for him, and our state is working effectively to ensure he is returned for 2nd term come 2027, alongside our illustrious son, the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, GCON.”

While recounting some of the life-touching projects of the state, the Governor admonished the citizenry to continue to pursue the path of peace as continued development and progress of the state can only be sustained in the face of peace, love and unity.

It would be recalled that recently, the Akwa Ibom State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, SAN, at the press conference in Uyo on the matter declared the position of the law.

The Attorney-General’s position was too clear to prevent misinformation and deliberate misinterpretation of constitutional realities.

“Firstly, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission has publicly clarified that what it received on 13th February 2026 is a draft report — not a decision, not an approved recommendation, and certainly not a reallocation of oil wells. The Commission has described the circulating claims as speculative and not reflective of any final position.

“Beyond this procedural clarification lies a more fundamental issue — the binding authority of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and the settled history of this dispute.

“In Suit No. 124/1999, Cross River State sued Akwa Ibom State over two principal matters:

1. The northern non-estuarine boundary involving 24 villages of Oku, Itu, and Ayadehe in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State; and
2. The southern estuarine boundary where the oil wells are located.

“On 24th June 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Cross River State only with respect to portions of the northern boundary. The Court dismissed Cross River’s claim over the estuarine southern territory, where all the oil wells are situated.

“In its landmark pronouncement, the Court made it clear that the October 10, 2002 judgment of the International Court of Justice on the land and maritime boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon had fundamentally altered Cross River State’s coastal status. The Court held that the ICJ decision effectively eliminated Cross River’s estuarine sector, with the legal implication that Cross River no longer possessed a seaward boundary.

“Subsequently, despite Akwa Ibom State’s efforts to promote peaceful engagement and preserve kinship and harmony, further litigation was initiated by Cross River State seeking clarification on offshore entitlements.

“On 10th July 2012, the Supreme Court again ruled decisively in favour of Akwa Ibom State, holding that:
• Cross River State was no longer a littoral state entitled to offshore derivation;
• Its case was founded on a legally unsustainable assumption; and
• Akwa Ibom State’s entitlement to the oil wells was fully recognized.

“The legal position therefore stands firmly established: following the cession of the Bakassi Peninsula pursuant to the 2002 ICJ judgment, Cross River State ceased to have a seaward boundary and lost its status as a littoral state for purposes of offshore oil derivation.

“Under Section 235 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the decisions of the Supreme Court are final and binding on all authorities and persons throughout the Federation. There is no higher court. There is no supervisory committee. There is no administrative override.

“No inter-agency committee, no technical panel, and no institutional process can alter, amend, reinterpret, or sit in appeal over a judgment of the Supreme Court. Any action inconsistent with a subsisting judgment of the apex court would be unconstitutional, null, and void,” the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Udom stated.