Nigeria, June 10 -- A former Minister of Lands and Housing, Nduese Essien, said Akwa Ibom Governor, Umo Eno, was forcing state, federal lawmakers, and council chairpersons to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the action "calls into question the sincerity of the governor's commitment to inclusiveness and political tolerance."

Governor Eno formally defected from the PDP to the APC last Friday at an event in Government House, Uyo, attended by governors of Edo, Imo, Ebonyi, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, and Cross River states.

Mr Essien, a former federal lawmaker, also attended the ceremony.

Months before his defection, Mr Eno had told the people he was executing governance across party lines, emphasising that political parties are onl...