…petition National Chairman, others
By our correspondent
Founding members of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State have petitioned the National Chairman of the party, describing their treatment since the defection of Governor Umo Eno as “unjust, painful and unpardonable,” and appealing for urgent intervention to prevent a mass exodus ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a formal letter addressed to the APC National Headquarters in Abuja and obtained by this newspaper, the Forum of Akwa Ibom Aboriginal APC Members said thousands of party faithful who “staked all, with many losing their lives and livelihoods in the struggle to establish the APC in the state” have now been “relegated to the background.”
The letter, signed by President, Engr. Ifiok Diana-Abasi Umondak, and Secretary, Samuel Asuquo Iyohokwa and 13 (thirteen) other executive members, on behalf of the forum, was also copied to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Governor Umo Eno, and the APC State Chairman, Obong Stephen Ntukekpo.
“Built the APC with their blood”
The group traced the history of the party in the state from the Alliance for Democracy between 1998 and 2006, through Action Congress and Action Congress of Nigeria, to the present APC formed in 2013.
“From the days of the now-defunct Alliance for Democracy, AD, (1998 -2006), Action Congress, AC, /Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, (2006-2013), to the now rulling All Progressives Congress, APC (2013 till date), most of us have remained faithful, surviving all political metamorphoses, mergers and realignments, yet remained unrewarded,” the letter stated.
According to the petitioners, the sacrifices were not only political but also personal.
“Permit us to also inform you Sir, that some of our founding members even built the APC virtually with their blood, as many lost their lives and those of their loved ones in the course of supporting the party in the state at different cycles of elections,” they wrote.
They recalled a specific incident during the 2011 election cycle, alleging that “our staunch ACN members lost their lives, many brutally maimed on a Tuesday, March 22, 2011, during our governorship campaign in Ikot Ekpene prior to the 2011 general elections.”
“Ironically and to our greatest consternation, many of our members were hunted, arrested, incarcerated, while many were prosecuted and jailed with most of them still serving jail terms for an attack that our party was the victim,” the letter added.
Allegations of reversal of fortunes after Gov. Eno’s defection
The aboriginal members said the situation worsened after June 2025, when Governor Umo Eno defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC with a bloc of PDP stakeholders.
“We cannot relieve here, Sir, all the pains and agonies our people went through being the major opposition political party in Akwa Ibom state up until June, 2025, when His Excellency, Governor (Pastor) Umo Eno defected from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, to our party. The governor’s defection which supposed to be a blessing, is becoming the opposite as we the aboriginal members have been relegated to the background,” the forum stated.
They alleged that “Till date, no Executive appointments or any tangible involvement of any foundational members of the APC in the governance of Akwa Ibom State.”
The petition further claimed that during the recently concluded party congresses, “aboriginal members who held sensitive positions in the party prior to the governor’s defection, were tactically replaced with new (PDP) members at all rungs of the Party’s Excos.”
The group also accused the new leadership of shutting them out of the 2027 primaries.
“Those who kept faith in the hope that they would use the political party they invested all, as platform to prosecute their 2027 political ambitions, were treated as common political outcasts as they were barred from contesting the primary,” it said.
“After acquiring the Expression of interest and Nomination Forms, in addition to expenses of all necessary consultations across their respective State Constituencies, the foundational APC members were painfully and brazenly disqualified and screened out without any reason whatsoever. They were barred from contesting the just-concluded State Assembly primaries of the party. All serving members of the State House of Assembly who defected to the APC along with the governor were the only ones cleared to contest the primary even against laid down zoning principles in most Constituencies.”
Mockery in the early days
The letter recalled the hostility faced by early APC builders in the state.
“It may also interest our National Chairman to note that at the formative stage of the ‘opposition’ which has become a ruling party today in Akwa Ibom State, we were given derogatory names such as ‘houseboys/girls’, ‘street-sweepers party’, ‘hungry politicians’, etc, all in a bid to demoralize and discourage people from joining to build the party,” the members wrote.
They also expressed anger that “those who maimed, persecuted as well as got some of our members arrested, incarcerated, prosecuted, and jailed between 2009 and 2023 – one way or the other – are the ones enjoying juicy positions in the party, while mockingly forcing foundational members to the doldrums.”
Legal challenge and prayer to national leadership
The forum disclosed that three aspirants who are foundational members of the party have gone to court to challenge their exclusion. The affected persons are listed as “Dr. Uko, Asian Johnson from Nsit Ibom State Constituency, Nsunwara, Blessing Osung from Oron/Udung Uko State Constituency and Noah Samuel Okon from Nsit Ubium State Constituency.”
The group said the three “are in court to challenge their unlawful exclusion from participating in the last party primaries ahead of next year’s elections. They represent hundreds of thousands of the sidelined foundational APC members in Akwa Ibom State. They must be commended rather than vilified for towing the legal path towards correcting the injustice meted against them when efforts to explore internal party organs failed.”
The forum is asking the National Chairman to wade in directly with the state leader of the party.
“We therefore passionately appeal to you, our dear National Chairman, to use your good offices to impress upon the APC State Leader and Governor of Akwa Ibom State; His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno to listen to the voice of reasoning and get their grievances resolved justly,” the letter stated.
As a way forward, the group suggested: “It is our most humble suggestion to the leadership of the party to consider concessioning at least three (3) State Assembly APC tickets during the substitution window, to the aggrieved aspirants who are in court in order to assuage thousands of APC Aboriginal members and supporters to have a sense of belonging and also to strengthen our faith in the ‘Akwa Ibom United’ mantra of the State governor!”
The petitioners warned that “These injustices and inhumane treatments have so far driven many foundational members out of the APC into other political parties”.
It could be recalled that Uko Asian Johnson (Nsit Ibom State Constituency), Nsunwara Blessing Okon (Oron/Udung Uko State Constituency) and Noah Samuel Okon (Nsit Ubium State Constituency) approached the Federal High Court sitting in Uyo to challenge what they described as ‘… unlawful disqualification from the All Progressives Congress primaries to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for 2027 General Election’.”
“The pre-election case with suit number FHC/UY/CS/104/2026, has the All Progressives Congress (APC), Independent National Electoral Commission, NEC, and two others as respondents. Our paper gathered that the applicants are praying the court, amongst others, to, in addition to declaring that their disqualification was unlawful, also invalidate the purported results of the 2026 APC State Assembly Primary. The case has been adjourned till September 21, 2026.
As of press time, the APC National Secretariat and the Akwa Ibom State Chapter had not issued any official response to the petition.
