2027: Akwa Ibom LP governorship candidate appoints campaign spokesperson

The Labour Party governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom, Michael Bush, has appointed Udofa Assam, an estate surveyor and valuer, as the spokesperson for the party’s governorship campaign.

Mr Bush announced the appointment during a Facebook Live broadcast on Sunday.

Mr Udofa, who hails from Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, is the younger brother of Assam Assam, a former Nigerian ambassador to Russia and a close associate of Governor Umo Eno.

Mr Assam, SAN, served as director-general of Mr Eno’s 2023 governorship campaign.

He remains an associate of Governor Eno and is still referred to at state functions as the “Director-General of Government Business.”

The appointment places Mr Bush’s campaign spokesperson in a political family with a direct connection to the incumbent governor’s 2023 campaign, when Mr Bush himself was a prominent supporter of Mr Eno.

‘We are all serving the state’

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES about his appointment, Mr Udofa described the new responsibility as a challenge requiring fresh ideas for the state.

“It is a challenge that has to be overcome because the state has to move from where we are, and we need fresh hands to move the state forward,” he said.

“There has been a lot of recycling; people who have no new ideas have been sitting tight and not bringing any new ideas. It is a challenge that I have to work out for the good of the campaign coalition.”

His appointment also raises an unusual political dynamic. While his elder brother is an ally of Mr Eno, he will now serve as the public face of Mr Bush’s campaign against the incumbent.

Asked whether this could create a conflict of interest, Mr Udofa disagreed.

“No. My brother is serving the state, and I am also coming up to serve the state. We are all serving the state together but on different platforms. It would not bring any clash,” he said.

He cited the political relationship between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and his nephew, Prince Akpabio, as an example of politicians belonging to different platforms.

Prince initially declined to join Mr Akpabio in the APC in 2018, when the latter left the PDP.

He (Prince) was later elected into the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly in 2023 on the PDP platform, while Senator Akpabio was elected to the Senate on the APC platform. Prince later defected to the APC alongside Governor Eno and secured the party’s ticket for a second term in the state Assembly.

Mr Udofa said the example demonstrated that political differences between family members did not necessarily constitute a conflict.

Bush’s political journey

Mr Bush’s emergence as the LP candidate followed a shift in his political relationship with Mr Eno.

He was previously a PDP member and was among the prominent supporters who promoted Mr Eno’s 2023 governorship campaign. Mr Bush coordinated a ward leaders’ support group for the then-PDP candidate and featured Mr Eno repeatedly on radio and television programmes produced by Bush House, his media organisation.

The relationship later deteriorated, particularly after Mr Eno defected from the PDP to the APC in 2025.

In November 2025, Mr Bush accused Mr Eno of “deceit” over his “Akwa Ibom United” political slogan, following the governor’s defection. He demanded an apology and said the 2027 election would be a referendum on “honesty or deception”.

Mr Bush subsequently left the PDP and joined the LP, where he won the party’s governorship primary in May.

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‘Bush is offering himself as an instrument of change’

Explaining what Mr Bush represents to voters, Mr Udofa said the candidate was presenting himself as an option for change.

“Mr Bush is offering himself as an instrument of change and that it is left for the people to say yes, ‘We’ve seen that you can do it for us,’” he said.

Mr Bush has previously said his proposed administration would focus on inclusion, justice and good governance. He has also unveiled policy proposals, including low-cost housing, support for fishers, and other interventions, as part of his campaign agenda, The Punch newspaper reported.

Mr Udofa’s appointment comes as political parties and candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 governorship election in Akwa Ibom.