APC member 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 President Bola Tinubu should resign due to the country's problems.

The aide, Osborne Okon, was removed from his position on Tuesday. The letter was signed by Godwin Ntuk Udeh, the Political Adviser to the Governor.

The dismissal 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 said.

This decision came soon 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.

President Tinubu is part of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the same party as Mr Okon. The dismissal got people talking 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 the dismissal, Mr Okon said he did not know about the decision until friends informed him about the letter spreading online. In an interview with NewsNectarNG, Mr Okon called his firing “insulting” and “embarrassing.”

“I feel highly insulted and embarrassed because I do not know what the problem is,” he said. He found out about his dismissal after a prominent person in the state called to ask 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 explained.

Mr Okon was especially shocked 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 said he and Mr Udeh had a relationship that started before the 2023 governorship election. This relationship was based on a verbal understanding and not a formal appointment letter.

He continued in the role even with a monthly pay 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 said his former boss should have spoken to him privately if there were any issues.

Despite his dismissal, Mr Okon said he still supports 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 mobilising support for the governor and ensuring that he returns for a second term,” he said.