Defection: Akwa Ibom Governor, Umo Eno Orders Cabinet to Join APC or Resign

Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno, has instructed all cabinet members to join him in defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or immediately resign.

The announcement came during a State Executive Council meeting held on Thursday, effectively confirming weeks of speculation regarding his political realignment.

It’s no more news that I’m moving party,” Eno said, addressing his commissioners and political appointees. “If you don’t know that by now, I don’t know what else you know.”

Governor Eno clarified that while he would not compel anyone to follow him into the APC, he could not retain officials in his cabinet who remained loyal to other parties, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under which he was elected governor in 2023.

So, you better just be prepared to resign the day I announce that I’m moving because you are an appointee and your loyalty is to me. You can’t be in my cabinet and play anti party, it’s not a threat, it is what it is. I won’t beg you to come, you should normally not even expect it,” he told the appointees.

Read Also: An Open Letter To Governor Umo Eno – Part 1

Although Eno expressed affection for the PDP, he cited internal disarray at the national level as a critical reason for his impending defection.

I love the PDP, I want to stay in the PDP, but clearly, I don’t have a road map to guarantee that I’ll be able to have a smooth sail in the elections,” he said.

He pointed to repeated technical issues with PDP’s national leadership and candidate nomination processes, which have, in his words, left candidates vulnerable to disqualification.

Every day, secretary this and that, and so you take your form, they send it to INEC, and then you run all the elections, you perhaps win the elections and just on technical ground, because the wrong person signed your form, you lose everything,” Governor Eno said.

Strategic Move to Protect Udom Emmanuel?

While the governor publicly emphasised administrative and electoral concerns as justification for the party switch.

West Africa Weekly had earlier reported that the move is strategically aimed at shielding his predecessor, Udom Emmanuel, from prosecution.

Former Governor Emmanuel, also of the PDP, is reportedly under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly misappropriating over ₦700 billion in state funds during his time in office.

Eno’s defection to the APC, the ruling party at the federal level, is seen by political insiders as a calculated effort to secure federal protection and prevent potential legal action against Emmanuel.

Read Also: An Open Letter To Governor Umo Eno – Part II

Governor Eno has reportedly consulted several PDP stakeholders regarding his decision, though many are allegedly opposed to the switch.

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Oluwasegun Sanusi

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