The Danger APC is Ignoring in Akwa Ibom

Aniefiok Isat writes about the need to ensure only opposition politicians who have the ideal and interest of the ruling All Progressives Congress at heart are allowed to defect to the party in Akwa Ibom state.

Akwa Ibom State has been under PDP control since 1999. For more than 20 years, PDP ruled the state, controlled the system, and shaped the political mindset of the people.

A few months ago, Governor Umo Eno dumped PDP for APC. Since then, we have been seeing a flood of defections—not only in Akwa Ibom, but across Nigeria. Big names, big men, former PDP power brokers are all running into APC.

But let’s be honest with ourselves.

Most of these people are not joining APC because they believe in APC. They are joining APC because there is nowhere else to go. PDP is weak, divided, and confused. Other parties are irrelevant. So APC has become the only political shelter in town.

Just recently, Barrister Enoidem also defected.

Why?

Because many of his contacts and privileges from the state government were reportedly cancelled. The political pipe supplying relevance was turned off—so the next option was to run to APC. This is not ideology. This is political survival.

And this is where the danger lies.

APC is gradually becoming a party filled with people who were once its enemies, critics, and attackers. People who fought APC with everything they had yesterday are now singing its praise today—not because their hearts have changed, but because their interests are threatened.

Let us not deceive ourselves.

You cannot pour PDP into APC and expect APC to remain the same.

In Akwa Ibom today, what we are seeing is not a genuine APC structure growing. What we are seeing is PDP people changing uniforms. Same mindset. Same habits. Same desperation for power.

History has taught Nigeria this lesson before:

A ruling party is not destroyed only by opposition outside—it is destroyed faster by enemies inside.

As 2027 approaches, APC must wake up. Numbers alone do not win elections. Loyalty matters. Conviction matters. Discipline matters.

If APC continues to accept everyone without asking questions, it may soon discover that it has built a house where the termites are already inside the wood.

Power gained by convenience is power lost by betrayal.

Akwa Ibom people are watching. Nigeria is watching. And history is recording everything.

-Isat writes from Uyo