Pastor Umo Eno, governor of Akwa Ibom State, has been told by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he will neither be abandoned or humiliated.
At Saturday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) big reception in Godswill International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the president made the promise to Governor Eno.
Vice President Kashim Shettima spoke on behalf of the president, assuring Governor Eno that he will always be happy with his choice to join the APC.
We are here because we think in repairing fences rather than erecting new ones and in constructing bridges rather than walls, he said. You will never look back on your decision to join the APC because President Tinubu is a great bridge builder. You will not be despised or abandoned, the president says; we are brothers in arms, and we shall triumph as one. We do not consist of a collection of politicians. Our family is here.
Like we did for Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, who was attacked for being a part of our party, we will support you. Together, we will succeed, and we are all on your side. You are being thanked for your visit to APC on behalf of the President.
Godswill Akpabio, president of the senate, spoke and praised Governor Eno for his audacious decision to join the APC, pointing out that Eno had been aligning himself with and supporting President Bola Tinubu’s administration from the beginning.
In addition to other things, Akpabio assured Governor Eno that the Ibom Deep Seaport would be realised, which was one of the requests Eno made to the centre.
As Akpabio promised to see President Tinubu through to a South-South triumph in the 2027 election, he also voiced his optimism that the two remaining states in the region would soon become APC members.
Not merely a political movement, but political maturity, is what we are witnessing here today. Overcoming party differences, you prioritised the welfare of Akwa Ibom State and its progress towards peace.
We are happy to have you join our progressive family and are confident that you will be an asset, not just another member. From parties to partnerships, it will be an eventful journey.
One of the things you requested from the centre was the Ibom Deep Seaport, and I believe things are finally starting to look up in Akwa Ibom. You are a man of your word, and nothing can stop you. We’ll make sure you get more than what you requested.
In an earlier statement, Governor Umo Eno recalled that he joined the APC on June 6, seeking to connect with the centre and support President Tinubu’s measures to boost the state’s economy.
He pleaded with the President and the federal government to make sure that the Ibom Deep Seaport was actually built after he switched to the progressive party.
We have no qualms about joining the APC since we have been guaranteed by the federal government that we will be able to build our Ibom Deep Seaport. This action would have been justified because Akwa Ibom is 19.1 meters deep and we don’t even need to excavate one terminal.
“We have taken the risk to join the Senate President to deliver the presidency come 2027 and we know that every risk has a reward and our reward should be the Ibom deep seaport which we struggled to have for over 30 years,” the governor added.
While welcome Governor Eno to the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, the APC national chairman, praised him as a sage who knows the difference between national isolation and togetherness.
With four APC governors in the South-South zone of the country and two more on the way in, Ganduje is ecstatic. He believes that the region’s shared problems will be simpler to tackle with political unity.
“The South South’s progressive governors will make it easier to take care of the region’s problem,” he stated.