Nearly six months after joining the All Progressives Congress (APC), Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno’s portraits and campaign billboards continue to occupy the headquarters of his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Uyo.
Governor Eno officially defected to the APC on June 6, 2025, following his resignation from the PDP in mid-October, yet his presence remains visible across the PDP’s expansive state secretariat.
Security checks revealed that armed police operatives have been stationed at the secretariat to prevent further clashes between rival factions within the party. A party chieftain explained that the police were deployed after a faction led by Osagiefo Igwatt Umoren attempted to forcibly take over the secretariat from the duly elected chairman, Elder Aniekan Akpan. “The policemen have been here since the factional PDP Exco led by Osagiefo Umoren attempted a civilian coup to force the elected chairman and officials out of office,” the source said.
Once a symbol of PDP dominance in Akwa Ibom, the secretariat has now become a centre of internal power struggles following Governor Eno’s defection. Tensions reportedly escalated after Elder Akpan and other PDP executives hosted the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who visited the state at the invitation of Governor Eno to commission the Ika–Azumini Road project.
Subsequently, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) dissolved the Akwa Ibom State Executive Council and appointed Osagiefo Umoren as the new chairman. However, the move was immediately rejected by the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who stated that the NWC had not convened any formal session to approve such dissolution.
Akpan added, “Furthermore, we have it on good authority that the NWC did not convene any formal sitting to take such a decision. The National Secretary of the PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has issued a press release discountenancing such publications and affirming that no formal meeting was held to sanction the dissolution of our State Exco.”
The ongoing standoff underscores the lingering internal divisions within the PDP in Akwa Ibom and highlights the challenges the party faces in maintaining cohesion after high-profile defections.
