Tom Nkanang said this during a harmonisation meeting of political leaders from the APC and the PDP in Onna LGA on 16 August, following the defection of Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State from the PDP to the APC on 6 June 2025.
The Chairperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Onna Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Tom Nkanang, has called on the political leaders in the area to close ranks and build a united political front that can bring about peace and development.
Mr Nkanang made the call during a harmonisation meeting of political leaders from the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Onna on 16 August, following the defection of Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State from the PDP to the APC on 6 June 2025.
"We are not blind to the apprehension some may have. We know that trust must be earned, not demanded. Therefore, this harmonisation will be built on transparency, equity, and mutual respect," Mr Nkanang said.
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"We are creating an atmosphere to harmonise our structures, policies, and leadership, ensuring that every voice is heard and every member feels valued. We shall allow our conduct and programmes to be guided by the constitution of our party. Please, this is not a marriage of convenience, it is a covenant for progress and development.
"Let us remember: unity does not mean uniformity. We will disagree at times - but we will disagree as brothers and sisters working for the same cause, not as enemies seeking each other's downfall."
Mr Nkanang assured the political class and their supporters in Onna that the APC at the local, state and national levels was committed to fairness, inclusion, and reward for loyalty.
"Nobody's effort will go unnoticed. Together, we shall win elections, form a government, and deliver good governance to our people," he said.
What others said
Pat Ifon, a former PDP BoT member, was among the prominent politicians who attended the meeting.
"The PDP defectors are not here to disrupt the existing structure but to contribute meaningfully to the party's success in 2027," Mr Ifon, a former member of the House of Representatives, said at the meeting.
"This unity will ensure we speak with one voice and work towards shared goals," he said.
Mr Ifon later told PREMIUM TIMES that his takeaway from the meeting is that the heritage APC members in Onna were ready to receive him and the other defectors from the PDP for the interest of Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State and the APC.
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"Yes, Onna is now APC," he said with emphasis.
Patrick Ukpong, a former special assistant to Godswill Akpabio when the latter was the Akwa Ibom governor, also attended the meeting. He told this newspaper that the speech by the APC chapter chairperson in Onna, Mr Nkanang, was a "very good one".
He said Mr Nkanang "embraced everybody and advised everybody to work together" for the good of the APC and Onna.
The meeting resolved to support and work for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Eno in the 2027 elections.
A former commissioner of works in the state, Ephraim Inyang-Eyen, the spokesperson to Governor Eno, Ekerete Udoh, the state's Accountant General, Uwem Andrew-Essien, and a former House of Representatives member, Owoidighe Ekpoattai, attended and also spoke at the meeting.
Since Mr Eno's defection, many politicians in the state, including his cabinet members and federal and state lawmakers, have been switching over to the APC in what the political class in the state describes as "political realignment".
However, there are some, like the then-Commissioner for Special Duties and Ibom Deep Seaport, Ini Ememobong, who resigned from Mr Eno's cabinet and remained in the PDP instead of defecting to the APC.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the member representing the Onna State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly, Sunday Johnny, and the Chairperson of the Onna Local Government Council, Kufre Umoren, have refused to defect to the APC, in an apparent show of loyalty to Governor Eno's predecessor, Udom Emmanuel.
The former governor, Mr Emmanuel, remains a PDP member.
