Akwa Ibom State’s Governor Umo Eno, has said that although he loved his People’s Democratic Party (PDP), he would be defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as his election victory could not be guaranteed due to its ongoing internal crisis and the Nigerian Constitution preventing him from running as an independent candidate.
At a government event in Uyo on Thursday, Governor Eno confirmed his defection plans and warned commissioners and appointees who refuse to join him in the APC to prepare their resignation letters, emphasizing loyalty to his leadership.
According to Eno, the PDP’s current crisis could guarantee a seamless election victory in the party due to its ongoing, and that the Nigerian Constitution prevented him from running as an independent candidate for reelection.
He said: “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, not because we won’t win elections. In this state today, with the work that all of us have done, even if we contest on a zero party, we will win this election. There’s no doubt about it. We’ve worked very hard, but we know that at the national level that our party is not coming together.
“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.
“We want our commissioners, members of the Executive Council, and appointees to decide if they want to join me. Those who refuse will not remain in my cabinet.”
Earlier, Eno blamed his defection on internal PDP leadership crises, especially legal battles around the National Secretary’s office. However, during a recent Thanksgiving Service marking his two years in office, he pointed to the Constitution’s restriction on independent candidacies as the real reason for his move.
“If the Constitution allowed independent candidates, I might have taken that path. But since it doesn’t, I must choose a platform,” Eno said, while repeatedly affirming his PDP roots.
He also vowed to maintain control of the PDP structure in Akwa Ibom even after defecting to prevent “thieves” from hijacking the party, a move that could cause friction with his predecessor, Udom Emmanuel, who reportedly remains with the PDP.
At the service, Eno highlighted peace and unity as his administration’s biggest achievement and urged critics to offer solutions rather than divisiveness, emphasizing that Akwa Ibom is already a minority in Nigeria and should not fracture further.
In a notable departure from party lines, Governor Eno endorsed President Bola Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio for second terms, describing Tinubu as a bold leader who has enabled federal funding for state projects.
“I support President Tinubu for a second term because I believe in giving and receiving blessings, as taught in the Bible,” he said.
Akwa Ibom has been a PDP stronghold since 1999, with previous governors serving two terms under the party. Eno asked to be granted the same opportunity to govern for eight years.
The event also featured donations of vehicles to all former deputy governors and state party chairpersons. APC leaders, including state chairman Stephen Ntukekpo and Minister of State for Petroleum Ekperikpo Ekpo, praised Eno’s efforts to unite the state politically.
