Less than 24 hours after announcing his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, was spotted alongside Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri a fellow South-South leader and PDP stalwart at an international forum in France.
Both governors attended the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) 2025 Special Event on Ocean Rise and Coastal Resilience held in Nice, where they represented their respective states on the global stage despite now being on opposing sides of Nigeria’s political divide.
Governor Eno’s sudden switch to the APC was made official on Friday during a high-profile event at the Akwa Ibom Government House in Uyo. “After completing the rounds of my consultation as your servant whom you have elected to serve, I have therefore decided to progressively move to the APC,” he declared at the ceremony.
The defection drew key political figures from the ruling party, including Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Bassey Otu (Cross River), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), and Monday Okpebholo (Edo), as well as Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was said to be closely following the development from his Lagos residence.
Governor Diri now remains one of only two PDP governors in the South-South region, alongside Rivers State, highlighting the growing shift in political alignments in the geopolitical zone.
