The political temperature in Nigeria is heating up as Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, confirmed his imminent defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) a move that’s electrified the APC camp and sent shockwaves through the troubled ranks of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
With a mix of calculated bluntness and political pragmatism, Governor Eno addressed stakeholders in Uyo, declaring his allegiance to President Bola Tinubu and voicing deep frustrations over PDP’s internal crisis. His announcement was anything but vague.
“If you don’t know by now that I’m leaving the PDP, I don’t know what else you know,” Eno said. “Even if we run on a zero party platform, we’d still win. But I refuse to gamble with a party that can’t guarantee the legality of its nominations.”
The Party Without a Compass
Governor Eno laid bare what many political observers have whispered: Nigeria’s political parties lack ideological direction. “This is not America,” he said. “There’s no ideological difference in our parties. People just move.”
His comments strike at the heart of Nigeria’s party politics, where defection often trumps loyalty, and the concept of ‘opposition’ is increasingly fluid.
Eno also signaled a clear shift in loyalty. “I support this President,” he said of Tinubu. “He didn’t create the mess we’re in, and I won’t pretend otherwise just to stay in a party tearing itself apart.”
No Room for Fence Sitters
The governor issued a tough ultimatum to his commissioners and aides: join me or resign.
“If you’re not defecting with me, you can’t remain in my cabinet. You’re an appointee, and your loyalty is to me.”
It was a political line in the sand one that forces the state’s political class to choose between ambition and allegiance.
APC Cheers, PDP Staggers
APC officials, elated by the defection, hinted at a broader power shift in the South South, citing April’s defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his political machinery.
A senior APC source, commenting anonymously, said: “This is another nail in the coffin for the PDP. When President Tinubu described them as a sinking ship, he wasn’t wrong. People are jumping off because there are no life jackets.”
Indeed, Tinubu’s earlier remarks during the APC Summit in Abuja now feel prophetic:
“You don’t blame people for bailing out of a sinking ship.”
PDP in Crisis Mode
Meanwhile, the PDP has scrambled to prevent a full-blown revolt in the Southeast. Former Senate President Bukola Saraki led a high-powered delegation to Enugu to dissuade Governor Peter Mbah and the entire regional structure from following Eno’s path.
Saraki, joined by former Governors Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa) and Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), met Mbah behind closed doors. After the meeting, Saraki admitted on social media that the party was facing hard truths.
“We didn’t sidestep the issues,” he wrote. “We confronted the fractures, asked tough questions, and began reshaping a real, workable plan to move forward.”
His public remarks sounded more like crisis therapy than confidence.
The trigger? The PDP’s refusal to recognize Sunday Ude-Okoye as the Southeast’s nominee for National Secretary—igniting threats of mass defections from the zone.
Defection & Corruption: No Shield, Says FG
Speculation that the APC was using anti-corruption agencies to pressure governors into defecting has been firmly denied by the federal government.
Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), dismissed the rumors as “from the pit of hell,” while insisting that no defection would shield corrupt politicians from prosecution.
“President Tinubu’s government remains committed to the rule of law,” Fagbemi’s office said. “The fight against corruption will continue no matter whose ox is gored.”
The EFCC also fired back at Atiku Abubakar’s aide, Paul Ibe, who alleged that the agency’s chairman, Ola Olukoyede, held secret meetings with defecting governors.
In a strongly worded statement, the EFCC said:
“These claims are baseless, fabricated, and politically motivated. Mr. Olukoyede is apolitical, and the Commission remains firmly against partisanship.”
The Bigger Picture
Governor Eno’s defection is more than a personal or party decision it’s symbolic of a deeper unraveling within the PDP and an emerging pattern of political realignment under Tinubu’s APC.
With two South South governors now defected and others reportedly considering similar moves, the PDP is in survival mode, trying to retain relevance in a political landscape that is shifting rapidly and perhaps irreversibly.
The question now is: Can the PDP stop the hemorrhage? Or will Eno’s defection spark a political landslide that sweeps the party off Nigeria’s power map?
Reference
Akwa Ibom Political Earthquake: Gov. Umo Eno’s Defection Sparks Celebration in APC, Panic in PDP