Akwa Ibom State governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has openly declared his support for President Bola Tinubu’s second term reelection bid in the upcoming 2027 general election in defiance of a directive by the Presidency for campaigners to stop doing so for the President more than two years to the end of his first tenure in office.
Speaking at a public event, Governor Eno emphasised his commitment to transparency and consistency in his political stance, making it clear that he stands firmly behind the President’s re-election.
Eno belongs to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which gearing up to wrestle power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the centre.
“I don’t know how to speak from two sides of the mouth,” the governor said. “The other day, I said I was going to support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. People asked, ‘Ahh, why did you say so?’ Yet in the night, they go there and tell Baba, ‘We will support you,’ and in the afternoon, they do another thing.”
Governor Eno maintained that his endorsement was personal and grounded in his conviction about the President’s leadership. “I am supporting Baba Ahmed Tinubu for second term. When the time comes, I will tell you the reason. The time has not come yet. When I tell you the reason, you will know. But let me keep it first,” he stated.
He urged the people of Akwa Ibom State to remain consistent in their political decisions, noting that the state does not believe in political inconsistency.
“There’s no point lying to yourself,” Eno said. “I will tell you the reason when the time comes, and you will see with me why you should support him so he can complete what he has started. You will see what he is doing for our state and you will know why we should not go elsewhere.”
He added, “So if you want another support, wait. When he finishes, we will now support another person. Akwa Ibom does not know how to flip-flop. That does not stop me from being a member of my party. I am entitled to my own opinion.”
Governor Eno also referenced recent political assurances given to him by federal leaders, including the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, about his own political future.
“The Senate President has told me in many fora—and it has been confirmed today by the vote that has been moved—and our mother has also spoken, that they will support Pastor Umo Eno for a second term,” he revealed.
Switching to Pidgin English, he concluded withq a message of political reciprocity: “So if you take your own, I take my own. You vote for me, I vote for you. Na play, no be fight.”
