May 22, (THEWILL) – Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has reportedly directed all commissioners and political appointees in his cabinet to either defect with him from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or resign their appointments.
Sources at the ongoing State Executive Council meeting in Uyo on Thursday said the governor made his intentions clear, stating that his defection to the APC was already a done deal.
“Anybody who claims not to know about my intention to leave the PDP is still living in the 18th century,” Eno was quoted as saying.
He reportedly told his appointees that he had long admired President Bola Tinubu from a distance and now wishes to align politically with him.
“I have nothing to negotiate with anyone. Apart from elected officials like House of Assembly members and local government chairmen, the choice is simple—follow me or step aside,” the governor was said to have declared.
Governor Eno also reportedly warned against any attempts to use the PDP structure against him after his defection, insisting he would still retain influence over the party in the state.
“Let me tell you, anyone who thinks they will remain in the PDP and use its structure to fight me after I leave is lying. I will still control the PDP structure,” he said.
Sources close to the Government House told THEWILL that Governor Eno is expected to formally announce his defection to the APC on June 6, effectively ending over 25 years of uninterrupted PDP rule in Akwa Ibom State.
