Barely 24 hours after a meeting of governors elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, has openly declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s second term ambition, breaking partisan lines and drawing national attention.
Governor Eno, who represented President Tinubu on Tuesday at the flag-off ceremony of a 65-kilometre three-lane dual carriageway in the Akwa Ibom section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, pledged the support of his administration for the President to complete his eight-year tenure.
Speaking during the event held in Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, and in the presence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, the PDP governor said, “I am assuring our President, our beloved President who will complete eight years because we are going to stand by him, and this is the truth. You cannot start this work and abandon it, and someone else may not finish it.”
Quoting the Bible, Governor Eno continued, “The Bible says, ‘Who is this mountain before Zerubbabel?’ The hands that started this work shall complete it.”
Eno’s endorsement of Tinubu comes just a day after the PDP Governors’ Forum met in Ibadan and reiterated their commitment to party unity ahead of the 2027 elections.
His remarks mark a rare moment of public cross-party alignment and may signal political realignments as the 2027 election season slowly gathers momentum.
The governor, while commending the Federal Government’s intervention on the Calabar-Itu road, noted that the road had previously caused hardship for commuters.
“And I want to thank you, Honourable Minister, for the intervention on the Calabar-Itu road. Thank God you have passed through the road. In fact, four hours is too short. Sometimes it takes eight hours on this short road, and I thank God you experienced it,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project would be completed under Tinubu’s administration, unlike the East-West road project that has faced years of delays.
“Our prayer for Mr President is good health to finish the work that he has started and commission this project so that it will not be abandoned. It will not be like the East-West road where we have stayed forever. This one will be completed, and the hand that started it will finish it in Jesus’ name,” Eno declared.
He further pledged continued collaboration with the Tinubu administration, stressing that the President had “shown us love and has worked with us across party lines.”
“We will also work with him across party lines. We will continue to spread the news of prosperity to deepen our unity, faith, and pride in the Nigerian state,” he added.