Nigeria, June 9 -- A former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Umana, has said that it is baseless for people to say that Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State was pressured to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Eno announced his defection on Friday at the Government House, Uyo, in the presence of governors of Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Delta, Ebonyi, Imo, Ondo, and Cross River States.

Apart from citing the perennial leadership crisis in the PDP at the centre as his reason for leaving the party, Mr Eno said he wants to work for President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027 without being seen as playing anti-party.

There have been speculations, especially in Akwa Ibom, that some top APC lead...