“They treat us like visitors in our own house” – Aggrieved APC stalwarts
By Utibe Daniel, Ubokutom Effiong and Ekanem Iniko
Members of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State have issued a blunt warning to Governor Umo Eno ahead of the 2027 elections: his political survival, they say, will depend largely on how he handles his Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Enobong Uwah.
In a series of interviews with party stakeholders in Uyo and other parts of Akwa Ibom State over the week, several APC chieftains accused the SSG of “high-handedness” and of systematically sidelining core APC members since Gov. Eno’s defection to the party last year. They alleged that Mr. Uwah has been working in concert with some PDP-aligned interests to “hijack” the APC structure in the state, leaving thousands of long-standing party members frustrated and politically homeless.
“2027 is coming fast, and if the governor loses reelection, he should look no further than his SSG,” said a senior APC member from Uyo Senatorial District who asked not to be named because of ongoing party reconciliation efforts.
According to him: “The way things are going, Enobong Uwah is midwifing the exclusion of the very people who built this party from the ground up.”
The grievances center on appointments, party meetings, and access to the governor. Multiple APC members told our correspondents that since Gov. Eno joined the APC, key positions in committees and government liaison roles have gone to individuals with recent PDP backgrounds, while founding APC members have been left out of decision-making.
“They treat us like visitors in our own house,” said another stakeholder from Ikot Ekpene, claiming further that “Stakeholders’ meetings are called, core members are not invited, and when we show up we are told ‘this is not for you.’ That is the handwriting of the SSG.”
The members specifically cited the SSG’s office as the gatekeeper controlling access to the governor, alleging that briefings and memos from APC leaders are filtered out before they reach Gov. Eno.
Edo stakeholders meeting controversy
The most cited incident happened shortly after the governor’s defection, during the South-South APC stakeholders meeting held in Edo State last year.
According to party elders who relieved what they described as embarrassing treatment meted against core APC leaders in the state, they were left stranded, neglected and abandoned at the airport.
“They abandoned prominent party elders at the airport,” one elder said. “It was only the intervention of the wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio that rescued some of the party leaders and took them to her Uyo home, while the PDP bloc took over the Akwa Ibom State contingent to the Edo APC event. That was embarrassing for our party. And, it is the office of the SSG that handled the protocol and other arrangements for the event”.
The APC members blame the SSG’s office for the poor coordination, arguing that the failure was deliberate and designed to diminish the visibility of Akwa Ibom core APC leaders on a regional stage.
“PDP cabal hijack” claim
Beyond the Edo incident, the APC members alleged a broader pattern: that the SSG, working with what they described as “PDP cabals,” has effectively taken control of the party machinery in Akwa Ibom.
“He has hijacked the APC and is pushing away thousands of true stalwarts of the party,” said a former local government chairman now in the APC.
According to him “People who campaigned, who were arrested, who lost jobs for this party between 2009 and 2023 are now being told to go and wait. Meanwhile new entrants are being given juicy positions.”
The stakeholders warned that this approach could fracture the APC ahead of 2027. Akwa Ibom has historically been a PDP stronghold, and the APC has been working to build a broader coalition following Gov. Eno’s defection.
“If you alienate the base and bring in people without loyalty to the party’s ideology, what do you expect on election day?” asked a youth leader from Eket. “We are not fighting the governor. We are fighting to save the party from those around him.”
Meanwhile, Gov. Eno, who defected to the APC citing the need for alignment with the center, has not publicly commented on the internal rift. His aides have previously said the governor is focused on governance and is committed to an “inclusive APC” that accommodates both new and old members.
“The SSG is a powerful office anywhere, but in a transition like this it becomes the lightning rod,” said a political analyst based in Uyo.
“If these allegations are true, it could cost the APC in 2027. If they are not, the party still needs to manage perception quickly.”
“We respect the governor,” the Uyo stakeholder said. “But we are telling him directly: watch who is around you. If you lose in 2027, blame your SSG, Enobong Uwah. Because he is the one closing the door on the people who will do the work on the ground.”
The group said it plans to petition the APC National Working Committee and the South-South zonal leadership to intervene and ensure what they call “genuine reconciliation” before party primaries begin.
Efforts to get a response from Dr. Uwah were unsuccessful as of press time. Calls and messages to his office were not returned.
Attempts to reach the office of Senator Godswill Akpabio for comment on the airport incident were also not successful at the time of filing this report.
