RismadarVoice Reporters
November 7, 2026
The APC Media Network has defended President Bola Tinubu’s approval of the proposed Ibom Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom State, rejecting criticism that the announcement amounted to another unfulfilled political promise.
In a statement dated November 6 and signed by its Acting Director-General, Comrade Uwem Bassey, the group described allegations attributed to Barrister Ewa Okpo Edmund as misleading and politically motivated.
The network maintained that Governor Umo Eno acted in the interest of Akwa Ibom residents when he requested renewed federal support for the project during Tinubu’s visit to Uyo on Friday.
Tinubu announced his approval at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium after Eno appealed for the Federal Government to facilitate the seaport’s development.
The APC group argued that the announcement represented another step towards delivering a project that had remained on the drawing board for several years.
It recalled that the Federal Executive Council, under former President Muhammadu Buhari, approved the project’s Full Business Case on December 16, 2020.
According to the network, that earlier approval did not mean that the financing, construction and operational arrangements had been completed.
The group therefore maintained that Eno was justified in seeking further federal commitment to advance the project.
It also disputed claims that Tinubu had provided financing for other deep seaports while withholding similar support from Akwa Ibom.
Specifically, the network argued that a £746 million financing arrangement cited by critics concerned the rehabilitation of existing port infrastructure in Lagos rather than the construction of Lekki Deep Seaport.
It further distinguished the proposed Gateway Deep Seaport in Ogun State from the Ibom project, describing the former as an initiative involving the state government and international port developer DP World.
The network commended Eno for engaging the President directly and expressed confidence that federal cooperation could accelerate the proposed seaport’s development.
However, Tinubu’s latest announcement did not publicly specify a new financing agreement, construction commencement date or completion timetable.
The project’s previous federal approval is documented, but the precise additional administrative or financial commitments arising from Friday’s announcement remain unclear.
The Ibom Deep Seaport is expected, if completed, to expand maritime capacity, support industrial activities and improve trade opportunities in Akwa Ibom and the wider South-South region.
The project’s eventual delivery will depend on financing, procurement, construction and the implementation of outstanding development arrangements.
