Defect with me or resign, Gov Eno tells Commissioners

The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has revealed his plan to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress party (APC), telling his political appointees to either defect with him or resign.

Speaking in Uyo on Thursday, the governor said he would not have his appointees working from another party.

Eno stated that the PDP had no roadmap that would guarantee his smooth sail in the elections, saying he was convinced he would win the elections under any political party because he had worked hard.

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He explained that his movement to the APC was because he believed in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and would not able to remain in the PDP and support the President as Nyesome Wike was currently doing.

“It’s no more news that I’m moving party and if you don’t know that by now I don’t know what else you know because as a PDP person, I love the PDP. I want to stay in the PDP.

“But clearly I don’t have a roadmap to guarantee that I’ll be able to have a smooth sail in the elections. Not because we won’t win elections. In this state today, with the work that all of us have done, even if we contest on a zero party, we will win this election. There’s no doubt about it. We’ve worked very hard.

“But we know that at the national level, that our parties are not coming together. Every day we have the secretary, this and that. And so you take your form, they sign it to INEC, and then you run all the elections. You perhaps win the election, and just on technical ground, because the wrong person signed your form. You lose everything.

“I’m not going to be stupid to stay doing that. I love my party. And in this state, in any case, we’re running like there’s no party. The only agenda we run in our state is the ARISE agenda. No party in this country has clear ideological differences.

“And I challenge anybody to let’s take that debate. I want to have that debate. To show me the ideological differences of each party. In this country people just move. I want someone in Nigeria to tell me why you are where you are.

“The agenda we are pursuing is the ARISE agenda and we must be able to do that. Again, I support this president. I know clearly well that this president did not create the situation we are in, and I don’t know how to mince words, and I cannot be in the PDP today and supporting the president of another party.

“It will be clearly in violation of party guidelines and I don’t know how to flip flop, it’s not in my life. So if I’m supporting the president, let me go to where I’ll be able to say so and state the things he has done. I don’t want to practicLSe anti-party.

“I don’t have the kind of
strength that Barr. Nyesom Wike has, who will confront anybody. I’m a very simple man by nature. I just say the way that I’m convinced to say. That does not mean that we have anything against our party.

Eno attributed development in Akwa Ibom to the peace in the state, and urged his appointees to join him to build, adding that though he was not forcing them to join him in the APC, they could not remain in PDP after he had moved and expect to be in his cabinet.

He assured them that against speculations, he was not going to dissolve the executive again, adding that he could only sack any appointee who is not working.

“We want our commissioners, our members of excos, appointees, you’re free, absolutely free, you’re free not to join me but you won’t be in my state executive council. So you better just prepare to resign the day I announce moving.

“The reality is fully to me you can’t be in my cabinet and play anti-party, it’s not possible, so you don’t choose. Truth is the truth, it is what it is. I won’t beg you to come,” he added.