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Historic rally as Akwa Ibom becomes APC state

Published

12 months ago

June 23, 2025

Whirlwindnews

By Joe Iniodu

The arena spangled with an assortment of colours — white, red, purple, yellow, grey, green, brown — either as uniform worn by different groups or flags fluttering as banners coalescing into a constellation of colourful spectacle. The atmosphere was boisterous as music from the speakers intertwined with varying entertainment from various groups. The mood hightened into an electrifyingly ecstatic symphony. The human traffic within and outside the arena bourgeoned to almost inelastic point. The massive crowd underscored the historic nature of the day. As it could be said, if one were to spiritually appraise the event, it could indeed be described as the day the Lord had made.

The day was June 21, 2025. It was the grand reception of His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, Ph.D into the fold of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Governor Eno had on June 6, 2025, announced that he was “progressively moving to the All Progressives Congress,” citing enlightened State interest as the motivation. He had therefore, earlier that day resigned his membership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) — the platform that brought him to power and which is almost in smithereens due to internal wranglings. June 21 was therefore set aside for the reception and his official admission into APC, a surer platform from where he could prosecute his second term ambition without any legal ambush.

Information to the public had put the commencement of the event for noon. But by early morning, the arena was thronged with a mammoth crowd. The breadth of Goodluck Jonathan Boulevard which hosts the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium had the two sides of the road crammed with vehicles, leaving people the choice of parking at endless distances and taking long walks to the venue.

So passionate were the people that they didn’t mind to walk kilometres to the venue. By 12 noon, the venue was jam-packed to its brim. Time was ticking. At about 1:15 p.m., blaring sirens rent the air, signalling the arrival of the expected dignitaries. At exactly 1:18 p.m., a Coaster bus conveying the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Governor Umo Eno and many other dignitaries rolled into the arena. As they stepped out of the bus, the crowd erupted in ecstacy. The arrival coincided with the time a popular music artiste in the state, Mr Xto, was doing one of his pulsating renditions, “Na You Dem Send.” The moment witnessed a blend between a Governor who has endeared himself to his people and a song which long held the appeal of the people. As the governor moved around the arena waving at the people and gyrating subtly to the music, flags fluttered, displaying a rainbow of scenic splendour. The joy of the people knew no bounds.

Then came the speeches. The Chairman of APC in Akwa Ibom State, Obong Stephen Ntukekpo, opened the floodgate with his welcome address. He welcomed the dignitaries, expressing profuse and special gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was represented by his dependable Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Vice President in his own capacity and the President of the Senate, who himself an illustrious son of Akwa Ibom. Ntukekpo thanked and welcomed Governor Eno into the APC fold, noting that the decision to join the ruling party will best serve the interest of the state.

The Deputy National Chairman of APC, South -South, Rt. Hon.(Elder) Victor Geidom, in his remarks described the day as an important date in the history of Nigeria. He said that despite the fact that the region contributes so much to Nigeria, it could not really get its due because it was in the opposition. He said he was happy that four of the states in the region are already in the ruling party and expressed optimism that very soon all the states in the region shall belong to APC. Geidom thanked Governor Eno for the laudable decision to join APC, adding that it would strengthen the party in the region and at the national level.

Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State described the day as the best in the South-South. “Once upon a time, I was an orphan”, he said, referring to the period when he was the only APC governor in the South-South. He revealed that he used to ponder over the dissonance between the enormous contributions of the region to the national coffers and the paltry rewards that accrued to states in the South-South, implying that belonging to the ruling party would change the dynamics. Governor Otu used the occasion to endorse President Tinubu for a second term using a voice vote, to which the crowd responded in the affirmative.

The governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Hope Uzodimma in his remarks, said he was delighted to witness such a mammoth crowd. He expressed his joy for Akwa Ibom people for the decision they have taken, adding that they will not regret it. Governor Uzodimma, who is also the Chairman, Progressive Governors Forum, used the occasion to inform the people that, “President Tinubu is addressing all our national challenges and so needs concentration, not distraction”. He called for national unity and cohesion, asserting that “they are prerequisites as we march towards the nation’s collective goal”.

The President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON who was also a high point of the event, began his remarks with a song. Known for his enigmatic soapbox skills, he said: “I want to speak to the import of today’s occasion”. He then proceeded with some dramatic syntactic parallelisms: “I want to speak. I want to say”, etc. When he launched into the main message, he left the people reeling with many patrotic take aways.

Looking straight at Governor Eno, Akpabio said: “Today is for you, my dear brother Umo Eno, today is for President Tinubu, today is for Akwa Ibom State, today is for Nigeria”. He described Umo Eno’s change of party as a movement, not a defection. He said the event was Akwa Ibom’s unification with Nigeria, recalling that the South-South has always been with the centre. Then he waxed prophetic, saying: “I see you being the first governor to be elected in 2027 and the President getting 99.9 percent of the votes”. Akpabio referred to what is happening in the state as “political maturity.”

The Senate President, who lauded Vice President Shettima as one of the most intelligent Nigerians alive, also praised the National Chairman of APC, Dr Umar Ganduje, for his frankness and political sagacity. He recalled how Ganduje announced in Calabar that the South-South would produce a Senate President at a time when he was not a national chairman. He lauded his fairness and thanked him for providing strong leadership to the party.

Governor Umo Eno’s time to address the gathering was marked with dramatic moments. He was heralded to the podium with a song “Who is your guy” performed by Spyro. The Governor and the people in the crowd gyrated to the song. After the momentous moment, Eno started a worship song, “I am going higher….” to which the crowd joined with enthusiasm. He said he was joining APC as a means of aligning with the centre so that the state can unite the Arise Programme of the State with Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government “to push for a better deal for our people”. He described his joining the APC as a progressive action towards enghlightened state interest. Governor Eno further stated that he was moving to the centre to have the latitude to support the bold and audacious reforms of President Tinubu, pointing out that even though he was not responsible for the squalor that has afflicted the nation, his commitment towards reversing the drift should be supported.

Eno thanked Akwa Ibom people for standing by him, adding that even though he is now firmly in APC, he will be a governor for all.

Going philosophical and spiritual, Governor Eno said: “We are not afraid of the future or the storms ahead. We are bold and courageous for the one before us is able to take us through the storms.” Eno made a passionate plea to the Federal Government to help Akwa Ibom State to realise the dream of Ibom Deep Seaport, noting that the singular action would give adequate justification for the movement that was being celebrated.

The National Chairman of APC, Dr Umar Ganduje, who conducted the official admission of Governor Eno into the APF family, described the mammoth crowd as colourful and jubilant. He added that from the faces of the people in the crowd, it was clear that they were there voluntarily. He thanked the President of the Senate, stating that from the quality of infrastructural facilities like the stadium that he had seen, he could say without any fear of equivocation that Akpabio was a successful governor. Speaking on a lighter note, he said that the stadium where the event held was as beautiful as the wife of the Senate President.

Ganduje, while calling for national continuity, consolidation, and sustainability in governance, announced that the Governor shall be the leader of APC in the state while the Senate President remains a national leader.

President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Shettima, assured Governor Eno of the full support of the Federal Government, assuring that Eno will not regret the decision. He thanked Akwa Ibom people for their pledge to support his Administration.

The colourful event, which has largely been described as a unity rally, seems like a new dawn for Akwa Ibom State.

*Joe Iniodu is a Special Assistant in the Office of the President of the Senate

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Dickson: Obi, a big asset to NDC, we’re working together … but!

Published

7 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Wednesday showcased Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2027 election, but gave a proviso – his importance would not be at the expense of the party.

A guest on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, now Senator representing West at the National Assembly, maintained that the belief in some quarters that Obi’s entrance into the party was a favour was completely misplaced.

Instead, he argued that the opposite was the case, as it was the party that was doing its candidates a favour by giving them the opportunity to contest elective positions on its platform in the 2027 elections, a gesture that ought to be returned.

Hear him: “Don’t make it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC and I and my colleagues are doing people a favour by granting our platform. If you are genuinely supporting Peter Obi and you are disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical.”

Stressing that NDC had demonstrated confidence in Obi by adopting Obi as its sole presidential candidate and selecting a vice-presidential candidate without internal disputes, he said it was enough to earn its leadership the gratitude it deserved.

He added: “Nobody paid shishi. So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made the sole presidential candidate and sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying that small people are underprivileged.

“I could have run. There’s no one more qualified than me. There’s no one more qualified than me to run for presidential candidate. None. There is no crisis within the NDC. Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party. On our own, we have made him a presidential candidate. Sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something. We are working well together. There’s no crisis.”

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NCAA launches probe into aircraft’s landing on empty Asaba road *Grounds plane, crew!

Published

7 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Invoking its zero tolerance on issues of security breaches, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has clamped down on aircraft and crew of the privately operated jet that landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba, Delta state.

Even with regulatory body for airline operations in Nigeria informed that no casualties were recorded in the incident, it still went for its sanctions in line with its sworn position of maintaining maximum safety at every point.

In a statement on Wednesday, Michael Achimugu, its spokesman said preliminary reports indicated that the aircraft conducted a missed approach while attempting to land at Asaba airport at about 7:43am.

Achimugu: Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said: “Reports received from personnel at the scene indicate that all occupants safely exited the aircraft and were transported to Asaba by road,” Achimugu said. The aircraft had four (4) crew members on board. At this time, no injuries to passengers or crew have been reported.

“Preliminary information available to the authority indicated that the aircraft later departed the location and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory approval. Air traffic control was informed only after the aircraft had become airborne.”

Stressing that the action constitutes a violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) and is currently under investigation by the authority, he said the NCAA immediately grounded the aircraft upon its arrival in Lagos pending the outcome of investigations.

He added: “The flight crew have been placed under regulatory review while the NCAA conducts further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and the subsequent unauthorised departure of the aircraft.

“The NCAA has formally notified the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) of the occurrence and is coordinating with relevant aviation stakeholders, including the operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”

Stating that the NCAA immediately suspended the operator’s permit for non-commercial flight (PNCF), he added that the authority would review all operational, airworthiness, maintenance and flight-related records as part of its statutory responsibilities and take further enforcement action in accordance with applicable aviation regulations.

Achimugu said the NCAA remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety, security, and regulatory compliance within the Nigerian aviation sector.

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Atiku: ADC primaries passed integrity test *My ticket is untainted

Published

8 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, swore to the integrity of the process that led to his picking the party’s ticket, saying it remained untainted and consistent with the wills of the members.

Against the backdrop of the insistence of Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), that he stole the ticket by corrupting the process, Atiku, Vice President between 1999 and 2007, pooh-poohed the claim.

Before the former SGF Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation as well as Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Chairman of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, both candidates in the contest for the ADC ticket, had rejected the process as flawed, even before the outcome.

Lawal, who had earlier announced his resignation from the ADC a fortnight ago and made sundry allegations of gaming the system against Atiku, had doubled down on Monday, while appearing on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, claiming he personally monitored the exercise and had evidence that the primary was rigged.

Hear him: “Don’t forget I was the National Vice Chairman (North-East). I was in the field during the exercise, so I have evidence. Atiku’s people are the ones trying to deny what they did. We are all human beings. We know what they did. I knew the primary was rigged at the point it was being done and the results declared.”

Regardless that neither Amaechi nor Hayatu-Deen had recanted their original position Atiku, insisted that nothing was amiss, adding that his opponents actually won in the areas of their individual popularity and stronghold.

Conveying his position through Phrank Shaibu, his spokesman, who appeared as a guest on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, the former VP said: “Anybody who claims rigging or irregularity in the last election should check the places and locations they won. Where are the states that Rotimi Amaechi won? If you check the figures and the margins he got there, you will know that those are his strongholds. It was not a fraudulent process.

Maintaining that the burden of proving any fraud rested on the former SGF Shaibu, Shaibu depicted his boss as the most popular among the contestants, arguing that the outcome of the event should not be surprising to anybody.

He said of the ex-SGF: “Babachir reminds me of a baby who is yanked off her mother’s breast while suckling. It is like a deprived suckling; definitely the baby will throw tantrums. He admitted on your show that his preferred candidate was Hayatu-Deen. He worked for him.”

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