I Came Like John the Baptist to Prepare the Way, Governor Eno Defends PDP-to-APC Defection

Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno has likened himself to a political forerunner, asserting that his early defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) paved the way for many of his colleagues who have since followed. Speaking in a TVC interview, Eno defended his move, framing it as a pragmatic decision driven by the necessity of securing state funding.

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You can’t be hungry all the time. Why don’t you reject it? The man has done well. Funds are coming. Allocations are coming. And we’re able to have funds to get to work for our people.

"You can’t be hungry all the time. Why don’t you reject it? The man has done well. Funds are coming. Allocations are coming. And we’re able to have funds to get to work for our people," Eno explained, emphasizing that aligning with the party in power was crucial for the state's development. He also cited the presence of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, a fellow Akwa Ibom indigene, in the APC as a key factor. Eno believes that remaining in a different party could have led to damaging political contests for control of the state, and his move was intended to preserve peace.

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The Senate president is from Akwa Ibom. I don’t see how we would have maintained the peace trajectory we are talking about with me in another party and the Senate president in another party. The soul of the state is what everybody will be fighting for.

The governor further revealed that his decision was partly based on a premonition about his future within the PDP. "I did not see through how the way my party then, the PDP, was going, who will endorse my form for a second term," he stated. He described this foresight as an "instinct of leadership, your ability to see the future where others can’t see." Eno noted that his prediction has since materialized, with numerous governors elected on the PDP platform subsequently decamping to the APC, including some who had initially criticized his early move.

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I did not see through how the way my party then, the PDP, was going, who will endorse my form for a second term. And people said no, it’s too early to judge. But it’s one of the instincts of leadership, your ability to see the future where others can’t see.

Eno proudly described himself as a trailblazer, stating, "I came like John the Baptist to prepare the way for you." He believes that leadership is ultimately judged by outcomes and that recent political shifts in Nigeria have vindicated his strategic decision. "What has happened today in this country should vindicate some of us," he remarked, suggesting that those who doubted him should now acknowledge his foresight. He added that while humility to admit being wrong is rare, time has proven his judgment correct.

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I came like John the Baptist to prepare the way for you.