In a dramatic political shift, the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong, has announced that 24 out of the 26 lawmakers in the Assembly have defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Making the disclosure during plenary on Tuesday, Speaker Otong said he had received formal resignation letters from the defecting lawmakers, who blamed unresolved internal crises within the PDP’s National Working Committee for their decision to leave the party.
The announcement signifies a near-total realignment of legislative loyalty in the state, as only two lawmakers are yet to defect. While the Speaker did not immediately clarify whether he was among the defectors, he confirmed that the House Leader, Hon. Sunday Johnny of ONNA State Constituency, has now moved into the minority, effectively stripping him of his leadership role.
In his place, the Speaker appointed Hon. Effiong Johnson, Chief Whip and member representing Mbo State Constituency, as the Acting Leader of the House, pending a formal selection of a new majority leader.
Inside sources suggest that Hon. Uduak Ekpo-Ufot, who represents Etinan State Constituency, remains one of the two PDP loyalists. Along with Hon. Johnny, Ekpo-Ufot is said to remain aligned with former Governor Udom Emmanuel, who has yet to issue a public reaction to the mass defections, including that of his successor, Governor Umo Eno.
The defection comes on the heels of a larger wave of political migration in the state, with Governor Umo Eno, members of his Executive Council, federal and state lawmakers, local government chairmen, and hundreds of political appointees officially switching allegiance to the APC.
At a grand reception held Saturday to welcome the new APC members, Governor Eno stated that his defection was driven by a strategic vision to align Akwa Ibom State with the federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This sweeping political realignment leaves the PDP’s long-standing dominance in Akwa Ibom’s legislative landscape significantly diminished, setting the stage for a new era of governance and party politics in the state.
