Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has officially left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the All Progressives Congress (APC). He made this announcement on Friday in Uyo, the state capital. This move comes just three months after Eno initially hinted at the possibility of leaving the PDP. He was accompanied by a large number of key figures, including the majority of the State Executive Council members, state legislators, federal lawmakers, and local government chairmen, who also defected to the APC. This mass defection marks the second time a sitting governor, along with lawmakers, commissioners, and local government chairmen, has left the PDP since a similar wave of defections in Delta State in April. Although three commissioners from Eno’s cabinet resigned in protest, choosing to remain in the PDP, the rest of his team pledged their loyalty to the governor and expressed their commitment to follow him into the APC, praising his visionary and exemplary leadership.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who also serves as Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, led a delegation of nine governors to welcome Eno and his supporters into the APC.> “The people of Akwa Ibom are shifting to the progressive fold, and we welcome you warmly as you connect to the centre,” Uzodinma said.
In his address to the gathering, Eno stated: “It was Dalai Lama, one of the world’s most highly admired moral voices, who spoke so eloquently about change and the constancy of values.
“Dalai had advised the world to ‘Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.’
“Today, fellow Akwaibomites, we are gathered here to witness change while equally affirming the constancy of our collective values and defining ethos as a state.
“For some time now, the political space, particularly in this state and the nation in general, has been awash with the news of my likely movement from the PDP, the platform that had provided the levers and ladder of my political ascendancy to the position of Governor of this State.
“The discussions have elicited various layers of analysis in the process.
“Today, I am here to answer some of those nagging questions. Like Dalai Lama had said, we should always be open to change but not let go of our shared values.
“Earlier this morning, I submitted my formal Letter of Resignation from the PDP to my Ward Chairman. Same copy was sent to both the State Chairman as well as the National Chairman.
“I have, therefore, decided to progressively move to the All Progressive Congress, the APC.
“Standing before you today, I make bold to state categorically that though I have by today’s event changed my political affiliation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All-Progressives Congress (APC), my values, my moral fibre, the foundational principles I have nourished and lived by remain unchanged and sacrosanct.
“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.
“Today, as I make this formal movement from the PDP to APC, I pledge to you again, my dear Akwaibomnites, that I will still run a bi-partisan and inclusive governance.
“Akwa Ibom State, I promise you will be a model of how to work together, pray together, aspire together, dream together and achieve together without the polarising impulses of partisan politics.
“Political parties remain vehicles for elections. I will continue to ensure that governance is done through the prism of bipartisanship.”
Eno also cited President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and his commitment to tackling Nigeria’s economic challenges as major factors influencing his decision to join the APC.
“President Tinubu, GCFR, has possibly, in recent history of this Nation, faced the most daunting economic challenges of any leader.
“With boldness and deep convictions, he has faced these challenging moments head-on and come up with solutions that, though in the immediate aftermath are tough for Nigerians, but are beginning to bear long-lasting and sustainable effects
“The removal of petrol subsidy, though a hard decision, has brought more funds to sub-national entities to pursue audacious projects that are positively affecting the lives of their people.
“Akwa Ibom State today is more of a construction site with many life-touching projects across the 31 local government areas.
“The economic fog is becoming clearer, the confidence in our economy is growing and we need to support him to finish this huge task of national re-awakening and economic renewal.
“It is a known fact that I have never hidden my admiration for the President and his patriotic devotion to national renewal which he is engendering today.
“As a young professional working in Lagos while he was the governor, I was amazed and fascinated by the manner he ran Lagos, and had, with focus and vision, raised the profile of Lagos State to become a leading sub-national in the country, while facing daunting challenges.”
Eno concluded by describing his move to the APC as a gesture of support to Tinubu, expressing his trust in the President’s leadership and the federal government.
