A former presidential adviser, Ita Enang, says he will not contest the 2027 governorship nomination against Governor Umo Eno, citing what he described as an “understanding and agreement” at the national level of the All Progressives Congress (APC) guaranteeing automatic return tickets for defecting governors.
Mr Enang, who previously battled for the APC governorship nomination in 2023 all the way to the Supreme Court, said he was stepping aside because the party had resolved that Mr Eno, who joined the APC in June, should receive the governorship ticket uncontested.
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“I will not contest the governorship ticket against Governor Eno. I would rather support him and President Bola Tinubu,” he told PREMIUM TIMES in an interview on Tuesday.
“There is an understanding with defecting governors to get an automatic return ticket, and I am a party to that agreement,” he added.
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Defection, political trade-offs
Governor Eno’s defection from the PDP to the APC in June ended over two decades of the PDP’s control in Akwa Ibom but triggered controversy over alleged political bargaining.
Before defecting, Mr Eno had publicly vowed to retain control of the PDP structure to prevent perceived political enemies from using it against him. That strategy collapsed when the PDP national leadership dissolved the state executive committee and replaced it with a caretaker committee.
The development leaves the governor politically exposed — facing possible resentment within the APC and with the PDP expected to field a candidate in the 2027 election.
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‘Legacy APC’ grievances remain unresolved
Although he has pledged his loyalty to the governor, Mr Enang warned that those who built the APC before Mr Eno’s defection — whom he described as “Legacy APC members” — must not be sidelined.
“Legacy APC members should be accommodated in different elective and appointive positions at the local, state, and national level,” he said.
“We should not be treated as if we are being acquired and given no voice,” he warned.
His remarks mirror growing unease among long-standing APC members who feel displaced by recent defectors now occupying leadership and strategic political positions.
Criticisms and the ‘national agreement’
Since joining the APC, Governor Eno has faced criticism from the PDP leaders who accuse him of betrayal and political opportunism. Key PDP figures are already building momentum behind an alternative candidate, a scenario the governor had hoped to prevent by retaining influence over his former party structure.
Mr Enang’s reference to a national-level agreement has raised concerns about transparency and internal democracy within the APC.
READ ALSO: Gov Eno budgets N1.39 trillion for 2026, reiterates commitment to food security in Akwa Ibom
“I will support President Tinubu and Governor Eno. I am obeying the party instructions. I am not contesting the governorship nomination against him,” he said, implying that the decision was party-driven rather than voluntary.
Mr Enang could not secure the APC ticket in 2023, a primary he claims was held at midnight, partly because he lacked the support of Godswill Akpabio, then minister of Niger Delta affairs and leader of the party in the state.
Akanimo Udofia, who defected from the PDP to the APC just days before the primary, ultimately secured the ticket and faced a prolonged legal challenge that was resolved at the Supreme Court.
At the polls, Mr Udofia came third, losing to Mr Eno of the PDP, who won the election.
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