APC aide fired for calling for Tinubu's resignation

A media aide in the office of the Political Adviser to Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has been fired after a Facebook post suggested that President Bola Tinubu should resign over the country's problems.

The aide, Osborne Okon, was let go on Tuesday in a letter signed by the Political Adviser to the Governor, Godwin Ntuk Udeh.

The letter mentioned “actions bordering on disloyalty” and the need to keep the office “purified” as reasons for the firing.

“Following actions bordering on disloyalty and considering the necessity to always keep the Office of the Political Adviser purified, it has become compelling that you Mr Osborne Ubong Okon be and is hereby relieved of your engagement as a Media Aide to the Political Adviser to His Excellency the Governor, with immediate effect and from today 2nd June 2026,” the letter stated.

This happened shortly after Mr Okon posted a message on Facebook where he criticized President Tinubu’s leadership.

“In a sane clime president Bola Ahmed Tinubu would’ve respectfully and honourably resigned. I’m of APC but truth be told,” he wrote.

Mr Tinubu is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the same party that Mr Okon belongs to.

The firing got attention because Governor Eno switched from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC last year, promising to support Mr Tinubu and the party’s leaders.

After his firing, Mr Okon said he didn't know about the decision until friends told him they had seen the letter online.

In an interview, Mr Okon called the way he was removed “insulting” and “embarrassing.”

“I feel highly insulted and embarrassed because I do not know what the problem is,” he said.

He explained that he only found out about his dismissal after receiving a call from a well-known person in the state who asked him about the news.

“Someone drew my attention to my sack online as I wasn’t aware. A big man in the state called me and asked why I was relieved of my duties. I told him I wasn’t aware, and he asked me to check social media. When I logged into Facebook, I saw the letter everywhere,” he said.

Mr Okon said he was especially surprised by the claim of disloyalty in the letter.

“I was shocked when I read through the letter and saw him say I was sacked due to disloyalty. I asked myself what could prompt him to say that I was disloyal when I was in the office yesterday,” he said.

The former aide mentioned that his relationship with Mr Udeh started before the 2023 governorship election and was based on a verbal agreement instead of a formal appointment letter.

He said he stayed in the job despite getting a monthly payment of N65,000 because he hoped it would lead to better opportunities.

“I wasn’t working for salary. I was working for better days ahead,” he said.

“I was being paid N65,000 monthly, but that was not why I was there. Honestly, N65,000 is not even worth a take-home in today’s economy. If money was my priority, I would have left long ago or complained.”

Mr Okon also criticized how the decision was communicated. He argued that his former boss should have spoken to him privately if there were concerns about his actions.

Despite his firing, Mr Okon said he remains loyal to the APC and Governor Eno’s administration.

“As an APC loyalist, I will continue to support Governor Umo Eno and his ARISE Agenda while continually mobilizing support for the governor and ensuring that he returns for a second term,” he said.