By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has broken his silence on the reason for dumping the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on his switch of political affiliation, on Friday, Eno described as an aberration and anti party, the act of professing love and loyalty to the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, without believing and joining him fully in his party.
The governor, who spoke at the government house, stated that the only constant thing is ‘change’ and he would not be supporting the president from a distance.
Eno added that the official declaration would put to rest several months of speculation and analysis.
He maintained that he is the first person in the state that made wider consultations before official defection.
Eno, while soliciting supports from Akwa Ibom people, demanded total loyalty from his appointees whom he described as first 11 saying that their loyalty is non negotiable.
His words “I thank the PDP for their support but this is a defining moment for me and having fully consulted critical stakeholders along the length and breath of the state, I needed to explain my reasons for moving and as children of Isacchar we must be able to interpret the times and run with the time and not against it.
“I have decided to move to the APC, I make bold to say categorically that I have changed my political affiliations but my values and moral fibre remain the same and I will always work with you regardless of party affiliation. We are not joining the APC from a position of weakness but from a position of strength. we are bringing value to the APC in the state, we are building back a party that was once torn apart, we are supporting President Tinubu.
”I am not known to talk from both sides of my mouth, people who know me will know that if I believe in a thing, I will go all out for it, I can’t be visiting the president in the night and be saying something else in the day, that’s why I’ve decided to join the train of the president, to support him so I will not be accused of anti party, let me assure you that our government has always been inclusive government and it shall continue. No matter the party you are, you are first an Akwa Ibom person, political party is only a vehicle and we have our state to live in. Therefore, I call on all Akwa Ibomites, especially the APC faithfuls wherever you are to return, lets build together, whatever the issues have been let us shield our differences as we begin to renew and build together and ensure we return our president in 2027.”
Recall that Eno emerged as Akwa-Ibom governor on the platform of the PDP, a party that has held power in the state since 1999.
With his defection, the PDP has lost another of its strongholds after a similar development in Delta State.
