for Late Wife … Will He Remarry?
Grief whispers in unexpected places. For Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, it lingers in the silence of his home, in the empty chair at dinner, in the way his office lights stay burning past midnight. Even after a year, absence has become his hardest companion.
Last week in Uyo, the governor marked one year since the passing of his wife, Pastor Patience Eno, who died on September 26, 2023. At the memorial, attended by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, governors, and First Ladies from across the federation, Eno admitted he had sought refuge in work to blunt the ache.
“I couldn’t have married a better woman,” he said, voice fraying with emotion. “For 40 years, no one ever had to mediate between us. She was the pillar of our family. When I stay in the office until midnight, it’s because there is no one at home waiting to call me back.”
The service, filled with solemn hymns and careful tributes, painted a portrait of a woman remembered for grace and resilience. Dignitaries described her as humble, humane, and fiercely devoted. For Eno, though, memory is less public. He still recalls how her presence seemed to guide even the choice of his suit at his PhD graduation.
The question now hangs, unspoken yet whispered in corridors: will the widowed governor remarry? Nigerian politics is crowded with precedent, but for Eno, every answer seems unfinished. His grief has made him less a public figure than a man keeping vigil for a love that feels not ended, only paused.
Yet politics has its demands. To govern is to stride forward, even while carrying shadows. Supporters call him resilient, steering state affairs with calm focus despite his loss. But behind the speeches lies a man still waiting, in some sense, for his wife to walk back through the door.
A year into mourning, Eno shows no appetite for replacing what was never broken. Perhaps he will, someday. For now, the house remains hers, the silence remains his, and the midnight lights keep burning.
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