APC member fired for suggesting Tinubu should resign

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

The aide, Osborne Okon, was let go on Tuesday. The letter of dismissal was signed by the Governor's Political Adviser, Godwin Ntuk Udeh.

The dismissal letter mentioned "actions bordering on disloyalty" and the need to keep the office "purified" as reasons for the decision.

"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 incident happened shortly after Mr Okon posted a message on Facebook criticizing 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 part of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the same party Mr Okon belongs to. The firing caught people's attention because Governor Eno switched from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC last year, promising support for Mr Tinubu and the party’s leadership.

After the news broke, Mr Okon said he did not know about his dismissal until friends told him about the letter circulating online.

In an interview with NewsNectarNG, Mr Okon described his removal as "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 firing after a call from a well-known person in the state who asked him about the reports.

"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 was surprised by the claim of disloyalty mentioned in the dismissal 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 his relationship with Mr Udeh goes back before the 2023 governorship election and was based on a verbal agreement, not a formal appointment letter.

He said he stayed on despite getting a monthly pay of N65,000 because he believed 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, saying his former boss should have spoken to him privately if there were issues.

Even after his dismissal, 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 mobilising support for the governor and ensuring that he returns for a second term," he said.