UYO, Nigeria — Weeks after Governor Umo Eno announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), 24 out of 26 members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly have decamped in the same direction.
The Speaker of the House, Udeme Otong, made the announcement during plenary on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, revealing that he had received formal resignation letters from the lawmakers.
The letters cited “unresolved internal conflicts within the PDP’s National Working Committee” as the central reason for their defection.
“The Speaker, however, did not clarify whether he was among those who had switched allegiance,” a legislative aide who requested anonymity said.
There was also no formal mention of the positions of the two remaining lawmakers, one of whom is reportedly Uduak Ekpo-Ufot of the Etinan State Constituency — a known loyalist of former Governor Udom Emmanuel.
The fallout from the defection was immediate.
Otong announced that House Leader Sunday Johnny, representing Onna Constituency and now a minority PDP member, would relinquish his leadership role.
Chief Whip Effiong Johnson of Mbo Constituency was appointed Acting Leader of the House, pending the selection of a substantive leader.
The dramatic shift in the House is part of a broader political migration sweeping across the state.
Over the weekend, Governor Umo Eno officially joined the APC, along with members of the State Executive Council, federal and state lawmakers, local government chairmen, councillors, and aides.
Addressing party supporters at a reception for the new APC members on Saturday, June 21, 2025, Governor Eno said the defection was “part of a strategic move to align Akwa Ibom with the federal government under President Bola Tinubu.”
No comment has yet been issued by the PDP’s national leadership regarding the exodus.