{"id":4530,"date":"2025-06-07T09:13:05","date_gmt":"2025-06-07T08:13:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pillartoday.ng\/?p=4530"},"modified":"2025-06-07T09:13:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-07T08:13:38","slug":"gov-enos-defection-to-apc-is-turning-point-for-south-south-unity-otu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"pillartoday.com.ng\/?p=4530","title":{"rendered":"Gov. Eno\u2019s Defection to APC is Turning Point for South-South Unity, Otu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gov. Bassey Otu (l3rd from L) in a handshake with Gov. Umo Eno during the ceremony in Uyo on Friday.<\/em><\/p>\n

By Anietie Akpan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, has described the defection of his Akwa Ibom counterpart, Pastor Umo Eno, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a historic and unifying moment for the South-South geopolitical zone and a major boost for the ruling party.<\/p>\n

Speaking with journalists upon his return from the historic event held at the Government House Banquet Hall in Uyo on Friday, Governor Otu expressed joy over the development, calling it a \u201cgreat day\u201d for both Cross River and the entire South-South. Governor Otu, who is currently the Vice Chairman of the South-South Governors\u2019 Forum, recalled an APC South-South meeting hosted in Calabar last year, where he had advocated for a shift in the region\u2019s political landscape.<\/p>\n

In a press release by his Chief Press Secretary, Nsa Gill, the Governor said, \u201cat the time, I was the only APC governor in the zone, and I felt like an orphan\u201d.<\/p>\n

Obviously referencing the absence of other APC governors in the South-South, Governor Out said, \u201cWe had not yet won Edo or Delta State, and Akwa Ibom was not on board. But like I prophesied that day, something was going to happen and it has.\u201d<\/p>\n

He described Governor Eno\u2019s move to the APC as \u201ca welcome development\u201d for the progressive political family, noting that Cross River and Akwa Ibom, once a single state, should naturally move in the same direction for regional development and harmony.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith both of us now in alignment, alongside our APC sister states in the South-South, the region is better positioned to support the bold reforms and strategic direction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,\u201d Otu said.<\/p>\n

Governor Otu praised President Tinubu\u2019s leadership, citing strides in fiscal responsibility, infrastructure development, and economic reform. \u201cGone are the years of freeloading,\u201d he declared. \u201cThe indices show we are experiencing real growth, even amid global economic challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about the remaining PDP governor in the region, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa, Otu responded with optimism and camaraderie. \u201cGovernor Diri is my chairman in the South-South Governors\u2019 Forum. I don\u2019t think he would want to stand alone,\u201d he said. \u201cLike I always say, \u2018follow who know road.\u2019 He is a fine gentleman, and I believe he will make the right choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

On integrating new members into the APC, Governor Otu emphasized the party\u2019s inclusive culture. \u201cIn APC, once you receive your membership card and broom, you have full rights. There will be no rancor, just like it happened in Delta,\u201d he assured. \u201cThis will bring unity, not just in Akwa Ibom APC, but across the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

Governor Otu concluded by reaffirming his belief that the South-South is now more united than ever under the APC banner. \u201cWe are all in the same boat now. We are no longer speaking different political languages. APC is the way forward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gov. Bassey Otu (l3rd from L) in a handshake with Gov. Umo Eno during the ceremony in Uyo on Friday. By Anietie Akpan Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, has described the defection of his Akwa Ibom counterpart, Pastor Umo Eno, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a historic and unifying moment for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}