Seven members of the House of Representatives from Akwa Ibom State have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), marking a significant shift in the state’s political landscape.
Six of the lawmakers—Unyime Idem, Martins Esin, Paul Ekpo, Uduak Odudoh, Okpolu Etteh, and Bassey Okon—left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo exited the Young Progressives Party (YPP) to join the APC.
Their decision comes in the wake of Governor Umo Eno’s recent defection from the PDP to the APC in June 2025. The governor’s move appears to have influenced a wave of realignment among political figures in the state.
“Having completed the rounds of my consultations as your servant, I have therefore decided to progressively move to the All Progressives Congress (APC),” Governor Eno had declared, adding that the move was made “from a position of strength.”
He also cited his commitment to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms as a major reason for the switch. Following his defection, Governor Eno reportedly instructed his commissioners and appointees to either join him in the APC or vacate their positions.
The political shift in Akwa Ibom further consolidates the influence of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, a prominent APC figure who also hails from the state.
Eno’s defection came shortly after a similar move by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, signaling a broader trend of defections from the PDP to the APC in Nigeria’s South-South region.
Governor Umo Eno, elected in March 2023 and sworn in on May 29 of the same year, is a native of Ikot Ekpene Udo in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. His growing alignment with the APC is now reshaping the state’s political dynamics at both the executive and legislative levels.
