Barring any unforeseen circumstance, Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, may defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) today. Daily Sun reliably gathered that as at last night, APC governors and stalwarts, especially those in the South South had concluded plans to travel enmasse to Akwa Ibom to receive the Governor.
With the defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State to the APC and with Eno’s movement, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would be left with only 10 states – Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo , Plateau, Rivers, Taraba and Zamfara.
Daily Sun had exclusively reported that the presidency and the APC have intensified pressure on governors of the PDP to defect. Reliable sources informed Daily Sun that some of the opposition governors are in a fix due to the crisis in the PDP which many of them fear would jeopardise their chances of getting a successful second term. The pressure to defect comes as the PDP continues to grapple with the crises that have had legal consequences for it, in the past.
Sources further disclosed that PDP governors are concerned about the precedent set in Plateau State, where courts sacked PDP state assembly lawmakers and some National Assembly members due to unresolved internal party crises at the national level. The fear is that if the PDP’s crisis persists, any candidate nominated by the PDP, including governors seeking re-election, risks having their election nullified by the courts.
Daily Sun learned that Governor Eno would have long defected but that the major obstacle he faced is the resistance of his predecessor, Udom Emmanuel, who maintains firm control over the PDP’s political structure in the state. The APC’s strategy appears focused on neutralising financially viable opposition states that could fund a presidential candidate in the 2027 elections. With Delta State already considered “out of the way,” securing Akwa Ibom would weaken the opposition’s capacity to mount a credible presidential challenge.
“APC is trying to muzzle all the viable opposition states such that by the time election comes, no state would be able to fund any opposition presidential candidate. In Akwa Ibom, the only obstacle all along had been Udom Emmanuel,” the source said.
Meanwhile, former Senate president and chairman of the PDP reconciliation Committee, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has said some members of the party might still defect to the APC while politicians from other political parties may also join the main opposition party.
