Amended Electoral Act sparks fresh defections in Akwa Ibom

The amended Electoral Act 2026, which restricts politicians from moving from one political party to the other after party primaries, has sparked fresh defections from the Akwa Ibom State Chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

A survey by BusinessDay shows that some APC members, especially aspirants, who are not sure of getting the party ticket to run for second terms or fresh offices in 2027 general elections, have opted to return either to their former parties or take new platforms to actualise their political projects

Iniobong John, Chairman of APC Media Network, in a chat with Business Day, said APC tickets are not for sale.

According to him, the party only reserves automatic, second term tickets for President Bola Tinubu, Godswill Akpabio, Senate president and Umo Eno, the state Governor, while others, who intend to contest, must work for their tickets.

Speaking further, he said that the party would not relegate old members to the background and lavish tickets on new members, who barely join the party recently.

”We accept new members, but they should queue and wait for their turn, while they contribute to the growth of the party”.

Worried by a possibility of imminent showdown,, some new members of the APC have perfected plans to defect to the Young Progressive Party (YPP), where they can easily secure party tickets to contest in the next elections.

Read also: Electoral Act 2026 narrows petitions, sparks certificate forgery fears

Confirming this fears, Divine Solomon Bassey, a Federal House of Representatives aspirant for Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency, said that he has decided to return to the YPP after discovering that the APC would not give him the ticket to run the race on grounds that he is new in the party.

”I brought the YPP to my federal constituency and my structure is intact. I defected to the APC after they snatched back the ticket they gave to me to run for federal constituency race in 2019.

I do not see any possibility of getting the APC ticket and I don’t want to be trapped by the new electoral law.
I’ve consulted widely and I have the backing of my people and the party to return to the YPP”, he said.

He said that his decision to defect was timely and strategic, in view of the amended Electoral Act.

The situation is not different in other parts of the state, though most of the victims have declined statements untill the stage is set for their official defection.

On the contrary, Godwin Umana, an aspirant in Nsit Ubium state constituency and pioneer chairman of the Inter party advisory council (IPAC), expressed confidence that he will win the party primaries.

Umana, who is challenging the incumbent, Otobong Bob, who is rumoured to be eying a third term in the House, said that as a founding member of the APC, he would not defect to any other political party, in spite of the amended electoral act.