Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno, Lawmakers, and LG Chairs Defect from PDP to APC
Uyo, June 6, 2025 – In a landmark political realignment, Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), bringing with him a majority of the state’s lawmakers, local government chairpersons, and members of the State Executive Council. The mass defection was announced at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Uyo, with leading APC figures in attendance.
Governor Eno, who was elected on the PDP platform in 2023, said the decision followed three months of wide-ranging consultations with political stakeholders, party elders, and grassroots supporters across Akwa Ibom.
“Earlier this morning, I submitted my formal letter of resignation from the PDP to my Ward Chairman, with copies sent to the State and National Chairmen. I have therefore decided to join the All Progressives Congress (APC),” Eno declared.
He emphasized that his move was not about abandoning his values, but about aligning Akwa Ibom with the federal government to attract more development and federal presence.
“Why am I in the APC, you may ask? The answer is short and simple: Enlightened State Interest predicated on the need to align our State with the Centre to attract more Federal presence,” Eno explained.
Mass Defection and Political Reactions
An overwhelming majority of the State Executive Council, House of Assembly members, National Assembly representatives, and local government chairs pledged support and moved with Eno to the APC, citing his “visionary and exemplary leadership style”. The event was marked by the symbolic presentation of the APC broom by Imo State Governor and Progressive Governors’ Forum Chair, Senator Hope Uzodinma, who called it “not a defection — it is a movement”.
Not all appointees joined Eno. The governor had previously directed that commissioners and political appointees unwilling to defect should resign, leading to several high-profile departures4. Some aides, such as commissioners and special assistants, cited personal convictions and ideological differences as reasons for not joining the APC5. The PDP camp, meanwhile, has remained notably silent, with many party elders and stakeholders expressing disappointment and surprise at the governor’s move.
Strategic Moves and Grassroots Mobilization
In the weeks leading up to the defection, Governor Eno doubled the monthly allowance of his 368 ward personal assistants and relaunched the state’s free food distribution program, moves widely interpreted as efforts to consolidate grassroots loyalty ahead of the political transition.
Ward PA Dean Aniefiok James expressed gratitude for the governor’s “benevolence and deep commitment,” pledging support for his ARISE Agenda and political future.
National and Regional Implications
Governor Eno’s defection marks the second major PDP governor in the South-South to join the APC in recent months, signaling a significant shift in the region’s political landscape. The move is expected to strengthen the APC’s position in Akwa Ibom and could influence alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Eno assured Akwa Ibomites that he would continue to run a bipartisan and inclusive administration, promising the state would “be a model of how to work together, pray together, aspire together, dream together and achieve together without the polarising impulses of partisan politics”
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