By Adesina Soyooye
The immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, has said that his successor, Pastor Umo Eno, not only disappointed him, but betrayed him. He said that Eno also betrayed the people of Akwa Ibom who voted him into office in 2023.
Eno was picked by Emmanuel as his successor among other choices open to him under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. But on Friday, June 6, 2025, two years into his first four-year tenure, Eno dumped the PDP, and defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC. Not only did he defect, but two weeks before that, he gave members of his cabinet an ultimatum to defect with him to the APC or quit. Three of them already did.
But expressing his disappointment in Eno Emmanuel in a statement he issued on Saturday expressed shock.
In the statement Emmanuel said: “I’m deeply surprised by this development. This is a time when Nigerians are facing severe challenges—hardship, insecurity,
and a high cost of living.
“One would expect any well-meaning leader to
distance themselves from the party responsible for these problems.
“Instead, we see the governor throwing his weight behind the same
party.
“We all know the Governor is desperate. He is fighting tooth and nail to
secure a second term.
“But mark today—Akwa Ibom people will stand against such desperation.
“I want to congratulate the Commissioners and other appointees who had
the courage to resign.
“It shows that we still have people of integrity who put the people first.
“I call on PDP members not to be intimidated. We will reclaim our mandate in 2027 with the support of the good people of Akwa Ibom
State.”
Aside from the three Commissioners who resigned from the Cabinet, it is reported that 15 Members of the House of Assembly refused to defect with Eno.
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