Two political assistants who disobeyed Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno to attend the recently finished Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national conference in Ibadan, Oyo State, were fired.
Felix Ekuri, Special Assistant on Neighborhood Watch, and Joseph Jacob Ikpak, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Support Services, are the impacted aides.
Enobong Uwah, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) in Uyo, made the announcement of their expulsion on Monday.
The governor’s “ongoing restructuring exercise to align the machinery of government towards the success of the Renewed Hope and ARISE Agenda” included this decision, according to Uwah.
Premium Times was informed by government insiders that the aides’ attendance at the PDP convention was the true cause of their dismissal. Since the announcement, pictures of the two men from the Ibadan event have gone viral on Facebook.
Governor Eno has called all political aides to an urgent meeting on Wednesday, according to sources inside Government House in Uyo. Eno is clearly unhappy with the development.
Tensions inside the administration have increased, according to a top official, who stated that “the SSG has already sent out a notice for the meeting.”
Governor Eno’s administration has struggled with loyalty since he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in June.
Numerous commissioners and political appointees are allegedly still loyal to his predecessor, former governor Udom Emmanuel, and supportive of the PDP.
Disagreements over the distribution of political jobs between core APC members and those who switched from the PDP, including the governor, have exacerbated the internal rift.
The PDP convention on Saturday nominated former commissioner Ini Ememobong as the party’s national spokesperson, underscoring the political divide even further. Ememobong resigned rather than follow Eno to the APC.
