Former commissioner Umo Eno held the office for the PDP by a 34% margin over first runner-up and YPP nominee — Senator Bassey Albert Akpan.

Politically, the state's 2019 elections were categorized as a reassertion of the PDP's dominance after Senator Godswill Akpabio and his allies that switched to the APC lost.

[23][24] The year prior to the APC primaries was beset by party infighting between three factions each supported by former Governor and Minister Godswill Akpabio, former Senator and potential gubernatorial candidate John James Akpan Udo-Edehe, or former Senator and fellow potential gubernatorial candidate Ita Enang which culminated in three parallel party congresses in October 2021.

Supporters of the two faction then spent the day fighting over control of official voting materials, delaying the exercise until early the next morning.

[38][39] Losing out, Udo-Edehe protested the event before leaving the party to obtain the NNPP gubernatorial nomination while Enang asked a court to nullify the results.

[40][41] By mid-June, it was revealed that the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Mike Igini's report listed that no legitimate primary took place for the state All Progressives Congress.

[53][54][55] Further criticism emerged when reports that Eno had forged court documents to illegally arrest striking workers resurfaced in February.

[56] Ahead of primary day, further claims of manipulation were tabled against Eno supporters leading Emmanuel to swiftly announce that there would be a post-primary reconciliation process.

[60][61][62] When the primary was held at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Eno won the nomination after announced results showed him winning over 97% of the delegates' votes.

While APC figures spent June and July 2022 trying to get INEC to recognise its primary and attacking REC Mike Igini as biased, the PDP attempted to prevent defections from aggrieved party members with a reconciliation committee headed by Senator Effiong Dickson Bob.

[95] For the PDP, good news came at the beginning of August when MHR Onofiok Luke declined to defect and restart his gubernatorial campaign, instead endorsing Ono in a deal brokered by Ntenyin Solomon Etuk—the Oku Ibom Ibibio and Paramount Ruler of Nsit-Ubium.

[98][99] The zoning controversy, along with the court case attempting to disqualify Ono based on certificate forgery, negatively impacted PDP campaigning in August and September.

[108] However, the situation swiftly returned to the previous status quo when Akpan granted bail on 28 December pending his appeal.

[114] On 20 January, a Federal High Court in Abuja ruled in favour of factional PDP nominee Michael Enyong and ordered INEC to declare him as the legitimate nominee;[72] while the PDP publicly rejected the ruling, reporting revealed underlying fear that INEC may actually switch recognition to Enyong.

[73][74] Amid the controversy, the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists organized a debate on 29 January 2023 and invited Akpan, Essien Ekere Sunday (ADP), Robert Otu Iboro (AAC), Ezekiel Nya-Etok (ADC), and Udo-Edehe along with Udofia to participate; however, both Eno and Udofia withdrew on the day of the debate.

[117][118] On 26 February 2022, the Independent National Electoral Commission released the timetable, setting out key dates and deadlines for the election.