The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Special Duties and Ibom Deep Sea Port, Comrade Ini Ememobong, has officially resigned from his position, citing political differences following a directive from Governor Umo Eno to defect from the PDP to the APC.

In a letter addressed to the Governor and dated June 6, 2025, Ememobong expressed profound gratitude for the opportunity to serve in the State Executive Council, describing his time in office as “very enlightening” and a “privileged opportunity.”

However, the former commissioner stated that he could not, based on personal conviction, comply with the directive requiring political appointees to switch allegiance from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“You have directed that any appointee who is unwilling to accompany you to switch from the People’s Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress should resign. Based on my personal conviction, I will be unable to join the All Progressives Congress,” Ememobong wrote.

He respectfully tendered his resignation as Honourable Commissioner for Special Duties and Ibom Deep Sea Port, and as a member of the State Executive Council.

The letter, which was stamped and acknowledged by the Office of the Governor on June 6, concludes with Ememobong thanking Governor Eno for the opportunity to serve the administration and the state.

Governor Umo Eno officially decamped from the PDP to the APC on Friday and instructed members of his cabinet to either follow suit or resign.

A former chairman of Obingwa Local Government Area, and Abia State Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON, Hon. Ibe Michael Nwoke, has urged the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu to prioritize the issues affecting the people of South-East that political showmanship.

Nwoke also dismissed a group, Southeast Local Government Forum, as an illegal and self-serving group that does not represent the voice or interests of former local government chairmen in the region.

Reacting to recent political gatherings and public statements by individuals claiming to speak on behalf of former LG leaders in the Southeast, Nwoke stated categorically that the forum lacked legitimacy and credibility.

“There is no recognized or constitutionally backed forum representing former local government chairmen in the Southeast. What we’re seeing is a group of individuals using the name of the region to seek political favour and personal gain,” Nwoke said.

He condemned attempts by the group to portray a false image of consensus or regional alignment, describing such moves as deceptive and harmful to genuine democratic representation.

According to Nwoke “No one appointed them to speak for us. Their statements do not reflect the pain, the hardship, or the concerns of the people they claim to represent.

“These are political actors staging a performance, not leaders advancing the public good.”

The former Abia ALGON chairman further criticized Kalu for backing such activities and focusing more on public appearances than on addressing the pressing needs of the Southeast.

“Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu should concentrate on governance and the realities our people face, rather than investing in political theatre. The Southeast remains marginalized, and no amount of staged endorsements can change that truth,” he noted.

The former Obingwa council boss called out the practice of using minor political endorsements to distract from the deeper issues of insecurity, economic hardship, and neglect that have plagued the Southeast and the nation at large.

“We cannot allow shallow pageantry and illegitimate groups to distract us from the real issues.

“Our youths are frustrated, our farmers are afraid, and our communities are under threat. These are the realities, not the narratives some are trying to sell.

“It is unfortunate that political gladiators are using the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu to cash out while politicizing Federal government support programmes and initiatives want to call on those involved to stop forthwith,” he further stated.

Nwoke urged the media and civil society to be vigilant and discerning, and not to amplify the voices of groups with no mandate or moral authority.

“This so-called forum should not be taken seriously. It is nothing more than a mouthpiece for political convenience.

“We must redirect our focus to real leadership, people-centered policies, and the restoration of hope for our region,” he concluded.

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has accused Arise Television’s TV host Reuben Abati of turning himself into a spokesman to Rotimi Amaechi.

Amaechi was a former Governor of Rivers State for eight years.

Olayinka spoke on Thursday while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme.

The statement comes after Abati had allegedly used unsavoury words to describe Wike while anchoring Arise Television’s Morning Show programme.

Olayinka claimed that Abati and his wife allegedly visited Wike’s house to beg for a bailout when he had issues with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over money he got from Sambo Dasuki.

Dasuki was a former National Security Adviser, ONSA, to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

He said, “I was shocked to hear him turning himself to spokesperson of Rotimi Amaechi, and I want to also suggest that, since he’s now Amaechi’s spokesperson, he should excuse himself from Arise TV and go and do his job properly.

“He should not be using a platform provided by respected Nigerians to ventilate his anger, his frustration and his hatred for Wike, because it is obvious that he hates Wike, he said Wike is wicked, yeah, that Wike is rude.

“When he had issue with EFCC and he had to pay back the money, the money he got from Dasuki, money from Dasuki loot, he himself and his wife knew the road to Wike’s house, to go and beg for a bailout, which he obviously got, and Wike was not rude that time.

“He has always come to this station to present himself as a moral police, and he will not one day tell us that at one point in his life, he’s a politician, a member of PDP.”