Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno is facing backlash after publicly endorsing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in office.
Governor Eno, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), voiced his support for President Tinubu during the flag-off of the Akwa Ibom section of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project on Tuesday.
The endorsement has drawn sharp criticism from human rights lawyer and political activist Inibehe Effiong, who described the move as “shameful, hypocritical, and irresponsible.”
In a statement titled “Governor Umo Eno and His Irresponsible and Witchcraft Endorsement of President Tinubu for Re-election,” Effiong condemned the governor for aligning himself with what he called “the most terrible, incompetent and dangerous regime in Nigeria’s modern history.”
Effiong accused the governor of abandoning his role as an opposition figure and criticized him for forming what he called an “unholy marriage” with Senate President Godswill Akpabio. He claimed that both the PDP and APC in Akwa Ibom are driven by political ambition rather than public service.
“What sickens me is the sheer hypocrisy,” Effiong said. “Umo Eno parades himself as a pastor but has no fear of God in him. He speaks nicely but behaves like the typical Nigerian politician.”
Effiong also argued that the endorsement does not reflect the will of Akwa Ibom residents, saying it was a self-serving decision made in isolation. “He didn’t speak for me. He spoke for himself. I reject his witchcraft endorsement,” he concluded.
The public response underscores growing tensions within the PDP and reflects broader dissatisfaction among Nigerians facing economic challenges under the Tinubu administration.
