President Bola Tinubu on Friday received Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The closed-door meeting, confirmed by presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, is seen as the formal seal on Eno’s recent political realignment to APC as he strategically positions himself ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Though elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, Eno defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on June 6, 2025.
Prior to his defection, Eno noted that he loves the PDP but it was clear that the party can’t guarantee a smooth sail in the elections.
“I love the PDP; I want to stay in the PDP, but clearly, I don’t have a roadmap to guarantee that I’ll be able to have a smooth sail in the elections — not because we won’t win elections,” he stated.
“In this state today, with the work that all of us have done, even if we contest on a zero party, we will win this election. There’s no doubt about it. We’ve worked very hard, but we know that at the national level, our party is not coming together.”
Following his defection, Eno applauded the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu, describing it as a bold initiative with a remarkable impact on the state and other states in the South-South region.
While fielding questions from Government House Correspondents, the governor said: “I have never hidden my love for the President. He has brought up remarkable reforms to grow the nation’s economy. He has supported us in the South-South to implement our laudable projects.
“Our nation’s economy is turning around. I believe that in the next couple of months, we will begin to see the dividends.”
