Two political aides who disobeyed Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno by attending the recently concluded Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national conference in Ibadan, Oyo State, were fired.
Felix Ekuri, a special assistant on neighborhood watch, and Joseph Jacob Ikpak, a 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 in a statement 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 the decision, according to Uwah.
However, administration insiders told Premium Times that the aides’ attendance at the PDP convention was the true cause of their dismissal. Since the announcement, pictures of both men at the Ibadan event have gone viral on Facebook.
Governor Eno, who is obviously unhappy with the development, has called all political aides to an emergency meeting on Wednesday, according to sources inside Government House in Uyo.
“The SSG has already sent out a notice for the meeting,” a senior official stated, pointing out that tensions within the administration had increased.
Loyalty problems have plagued Governor Eno’s administration since he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in June.
Numerous commissioners and political appointees are reportedly still loyal to his predecessor, former governor Udom Emmanuel, and sympathetic to the PDP.
Disagreements over the distribution of political jobs between core APC members and those who defected 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. Ememobong resigned instead of joining Eno in the APC.
