It is becoming more glaring that Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State may dump Nigeria’s main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the ruling All Progressives Party (APC).
He has begun preparing his supporters’ minds for the move.
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There have been widespread rumours that Mr Eno will join the APC after he publicly endorsed President Bola Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio for a second term.
The PDP has been enmeshed in a leadership and legal tussle that has torn the party apart. Some of its members, particularly in the National Assembly, have pointed to the crisis as a justification for their defection to the APC.
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The latest high-profile defection is Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, who moved to the ruling APC alongside his commissioners, council chairpersons, and predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa.
Speaking at a Town Hall meeting for the Ukanafun Federal Constituency of the state on Tuesday, Mr Eno used the analogy of two aircraft—a faulty one and another in good shape. He asked the crowd which of the aircraft a passenger who has serious business would patronise.
Mr Eno, who addressed the crowd in Ibibio, made the analogy while recognising the deputy chairperson of the APC in the state.
“All of us are from Akwa Ibom. Hunger does not discriminate between PDP and APC members. What the Akwa Ibom people want is good governance,” he said.
He added, “You are about to board a flight to Lagos from Uyo, and you see Air Peace and Ibom Air. Ibom Air develops faults while trying to take off and disembark its passengers.
“But Air Peace is ready to fly to Lagos, would you cancel your flight to Lagos because you do not want to use Air Peace and wait till Ibom Air is fixed before you travel to Lagos? Would you do that? he asked
“No!” the crowd responded.
“Board a flight, disregard the name of the plane. Go to Lagos if you have business you want to do. When Ibom Air is fixed, and you want to fly another day, you can fly with them. But if you have an important business, board the available plane and fly,” he said amidst cheers from supporters.
Why Mr Eno may defect
The PDP has governed the oil-rich Akwa Ibom State since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
If Mr Eno eventually defects to the APC, he would be the first serving governor of the state to dump the PDP, which its members claim is a “religion” in the state.
A source who blamed the PDP crisis for it told PREMIUM TIMES that the governor’s defection was imminent.
The source said the PDP has two factional secretaries and that the governor is afraid of which of them will sign his nomination form for a second term.
READ ALSO: Ex-senator praises Eno’s endorsement of Tinubu, silent on Akpabio’s backing of governor
“Imagine if a secretary of one faction signed his second term nomination form and the next day a court declared that faction is illegal, that means his nomination is not valid,” the source said.
Last week, Governor Oborevwori defected to the APC alongside his predecessor, about five months after the anti-graft agency quizzed Mr Okowa.
The EFCC also quizzed Mr Eno’s predecessor, Udom Emmanuel, last month over a fraud allegation.
While dismissing the allegation against his predecessor, Mr Eno said he would suffer the same fate after leaving office.
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