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Although it is more than two years before the next general election in Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State has declared Governor Umo Eno, the party’s sole candidate for the 2027 governorship election in the state.
Mr Eno’s administration is just over one and a half years old; he was sworn in as Akwa Ibom governor on 29 May 2023.
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“After thorough deliberation at the Akwa Ibom State PDP Enlarged State Executive Council Meeting held on 6 January 2025, at the PDP State Secretariat, the party unanimously endorsed Pastor Umo Bassey Eno as its sole gubernatorial candidate for the 2027 governorship election,” the party said in a communique signed by the PDP Chairperson in Akwa Ibom State, Aniekan Akpan.
The spokesperson for the PDP in Akwa Ibom, Edwin Ebiese, posted the communique on his Facebook page on Sunday, 12 January.
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By this decision, the PDP may have successfully excluded other potential governorship aspirants and eliminated competition and other choices within the party in Akwa Ibom before the 2027 election.
The PDP said its decision was based on the governor’s “outstanding performance” so far.
“His exemplary leadership and vision, as encapsulated in the Arise Agenda, have yielded significant dividends of democracy for the people of Akwa Ibom State,” the party said in the communique.
The Arise Agenda is Mr Eno’s blueprint for Akwa Ibom’s economic development.
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Governor Eno visited the PDP state secretariat in Uyo on Saturday, hours after he dissolved his cabinet.
Akwa Ibom is a PDP stronghold; the party has produced successive governors of the oil-rich state since the return of democratic governance in Nigeria in 1999. With the opposition political parties, including the All Progressives Congress, being weak in the state, Governor Eno looks good to win a second term in 2027.
