…Ibom Deep Seaport Among Six Approved, Highway Route Adjustment Is Not Cancellation- APC Group
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have clashed over the benefits of Governor Umo Eno’s defection to the ruling party, with the opposition demanding evidence of federal gains for Akwa Ibom and the APC countering that official records show the state has not been excluded from critical infrastructure plans.
The dispute, which centres on the Ibom Deep Sea Port, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and derivation payments from 76 disputed oil wells, has reopened questions about the practical benefits of the governor’s June 6, 2025 political realignment and the extent to which it has advanced the state’s economic interests.
The PDP, through its State Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ewa Okpo, said Eno had justified his defection from the party by promising to connect Akwa Ibom to the centre and secure federal support for major development projects. But Okpo argued that subsequent announcements on port investments and highway development had cast doubt on that promise.
In a statement issued on Monday, Okpo challenged the governor to explain the returns from his political alignment, asking: “Which centre is Pastor Umo Eno connecting Akwa Ibom to?” He cited federal port development and modernisation plans involving Lagos, Rivers, Delta and Cross River, arguing that Akwa Ibom had yet to demonstrate comparable benefits from the relationship.
The opposition described the situation in a blunt declaration: “No seaport! No coastal highway!! No 76 oil wells!!!” It argued that the absence of visible progress on the projects, alongside the continued withholding of derivation payments, raised questions about the value of the governor’s defection to the APC.
On the oil wells, the PDP said the 13 per cent derivation payments associated with the 76 disputed oil wells claimed by Akwa Ibom and Cross River had been suspended from September 25, 2025. It alleged that the proceeds remained in an escrow account pending a review of boundary coordinates and complained that the state had yet to receive the money or obtain sufficient clarity on the process.
The party also questioned reports of adjustments to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway route, warning that any final alignment that excluded Akwa Ibom would undermine the state’s anticipated benefits from the project. It accused the governor of failing to demonstrate how his relationship with the Federal Government had translated into concrete gains for residents.
The APC Media Network, however, rejected the allegations, insisting that the PDP had misrepresented federal decisions and confused project development with the modernisation of existing infrastructure. Its Acting Director-General, Comrade Uwem Bassey, said the Federal Government’s September 27, 2026 announcement expressly included the Ibom Deep Sea Port among six proposed deep seaport developments.
Bassey argued that the announcement contradicted the claim that Akwa Ibom had been excluded from federal port plans. He also cited Eno’s technical meeting with Africa Global Logistics in Paris on June 5, 2026, where the governor reportedly requested clear timelines for advancing the seaport project, as evidence that efforts to move it forward were continuing.
On the coastal highway, the APC said the Federal Ministry of Works’ October 8, 2026 statement announced adjustments to sections of the route but did not cancel the Akwa Ibom portion. The party maintained that a route adjustment should not be interpreted as abandonment, challenging the PDP to distinguish between changes to the alignment and termination of the project.
The ruling party also dismissed the opposition’s concerns over the disputed oil wells, insisting that Akwa Ibom’s ownership was protected by Supreme Court judgments. “Our oil wells remain safe and intact, and Governor Umo Eno continues to defend and protect our economic assets,” Bassey declared, adding that the PDP’s claims could not overturn judicial decisions.
In a further attack, the APC Media Network described Okpo’s statement as a “cocktail of lies” and accused the opposition spokesman of misrepresenting official records for political effect. It maintained that the governor was defending the state’s interests and said it would continue to counter allegations against the administration with what it described as verifiable facts.
A political analyst, who declined to be named, said the competing claims had brought the distinction between government approval and actual project delivery to the forefront. According to the analyst, the APC’s reference to the seaport’s inclusion in development plans does not, by itself, establish when construction will begin, while the PDP’s criticism does not independently prove that the project has been abandoned.
The analyst said the coastal highway controversy also required clarification of the final route and its implications for Akwa Ibom, while the oil-well dispute called for transparent information on the status of the suspended derivation payments and the review of boundary coordinates.
The analyst added that the competing positions would ultimately be assessed against verifiable developments, including progress on the seaport, clarity over the highway alignment and resolution of the outstanding oil revenue questions.
With the two parties offering sharply different interpretations of the same federal decisions, the central issue remains whether Akwa Ibom’s political alignment with Abuja will produce measurable economic benefits. For residents, the answers are likely to lie not only in official announcements and political rebuttals, but also in implementation timelines, project execution and clarity on the state’s disputed revenue.
