Tuesday June 24, 2025
A major political shift occurs in the Akwa Ibom Assembly as 24 out of 26 legislators defected from the PDP to the APC.
The Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Udeme Otong, has disclosed that 24 members, out of the total 26 in the Assembly, have defected from the PDP to the APC.
During the plenary session on Tuesday, June 24, Otong announced that he had received resignation letters from all 24 legislators. They attributed their decision to leave to ongoing internal disputes within the National Working Committee of the PDP.
The Speaker, however, did not specify if he was part of the group that defected, nor did he disclose the positions of the other two legislators who have not yet announced their decision.
One of the two legislators is said to be Uduak Ekpo-Ufot, who represents the Etinan State Constituency and is recognized for his loyalty to former Governor Udom Emmanuel.
In light of the large-scale defection, the Speaker declared that Sunday Johnny, the representative for Onna Constituency and now part of the minority PDP, would relinquish his role as the House Leader.
Chief Whip Effiong Johnson, representing the Mbo Constituency, has been appointed as the Acting Leader of the House until a new leader is chosen.
