Runaway Lawyer! Gov Eno Blasts Kenneth Okonkwo Over Labour Party Exit

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has hit back at Nollywood actor-turned-politician Kenneth Okonkwo after the latter described him as a “political transgender.”

Okonkwo, during an appearance on Arise Television, had criticized Governor Eno over his recent defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), expressing disappointment and mocking the governor’s statement that he lacked the combative style of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

In his words, Okonkwo said:

“The worst elements from the opposition are flocking into the ruling party, while the best of the ruling party are moving to the opposition. Look at the Governor of Akwa Ibom, for example.
His Commissioner for Information said his political stance is based on principle and opposition to the APC, which reflects the view of most Nigerians. That statement alone exposes the governor’s defection as lacking integrity.
And imagine a governor publicly saying: ‘I can’t fight like Wike ooo! I want a smooth 2027. I still love PDP.’ That’s what I call ‘transgenderic.’ A person who wants the title but not the fight.
He behaves like a man but politically, he’s not ready to face the storm. If his predecessor hadn’t stood firm and challenged the APC, he wouldn’t even be in office today.”

Okonkwo added that while he respects transgender individuals, whom he called brave and talented, he believes Eno is simply a “political transgender”—lacking the resolve expected of a true leader.

In a sharp response shared in a video online, Governor Umo Eno dismissed the remarks as unworthy of serious attention. He referred to Kenneth Okonkwo as a “failed lawyer” and a “fleeing politician” who abandoned the Labour Party, suggesting his criticism lacked credibility.

“Ignore him,” Eno said. “He’s an attempted lawyer who ran from the courtroom, and now he’s running again—from the Labour Party. He has no standing to lecture anyone on political loyalty or principle.”