Optimism: APC Cannot Take Over Akwa Ibom – Hon. Emma Udosen

By Ibommobile Media

Akwa Ibom State is being repositioned to serve as the industrial and agricultural nerve of the South-South zone of the country by the state Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel.

According to Dr. Emmanuel Udosen, lawyer and Transition Chairman for Abak Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, efforts of the past six months to attract investments to unlock the state’s economic potentials were beginning to yield dividend.

Udosen also said that the much talked about taking over of Akwa Ibom by the APC given the recent ruling of the election petition tribunal canceling elections in 18 local councils “was nothing but the handiwork of men and women who are merely living in fantasies.”

“PDP has touched so many lives positively over the past years that it is now like a religion in Akwa Ibom State. And I am talking a religion with a large followership,” said Udosen.

“Here we have the type of followers that are often referred to as diehard believers. I tell you, it is impossible for APC to win in Akwa Ibom State.”

Udosen speaks on other issues:
Governors interfering in Local Councils administration

Before I came on board, I heard such stories about governors in various states of Nigeria interfering and sometimes stifling efforts by Local Government Chairman to be independent from the executive arm of government. Honestly, I have been here on this post for more than 100 days, and I can’t speak for others, but in Akwa Ibom State, Governor Udom Emmanuel gives us a free hand to run our local government areas. And I can tell you that that is how it should be. And it is the independence that I have that accounts for why I have been able to do so much within 100 days in office. What I want to add is that I urge other governors in the country to emulate the good example of our governor. In my ranking so far, Udom Emmanuel is the best governor any local government chairman can work with in Nigeria and this is incontrovertibly! When other governors were busy shouting the outdated mantra, “I met an empty treasury”, Udom Emmanuel had opted to hit the ground running and the result is what we are witnessing in such a short period in the state.

The industrialization revolution
There is a march towards the industrialization of the state with unprecedented wealth creation. And then we are also witnessing an agricultural renaissance too as that sector’s potentials are now being unlocked for the prosperity of farmers and other investors. The Peacock Paint plant has been revived; the Quality Ceramics is to come on stream soon; a fertilizer plant is on ground in Abak my local council and the same with DAAR Communication Limited. We also have a car assemblage plant in Itu and a Led manufacturing factory. And if you go round the state, you will witness a massive construction of roads in Etinan, Oron, Okobo, Onna, and Oruk Anam local councils among others. And I cannot list the names of hundreds of Akwa Ibomites currently being trained in mechanized farming under the governor’s sponsorship. And it will interest you to know that investors are all over the state these days expressing their readiness and willing to partner the state governor in his quest to recreate the industrial magic of Singapore and the agricultural magic of Israel in the state. I am so optimistic that in no distant future, given the industrialization vision and passion of the governor, this state would be so self-reliant in so many things and would serve as the industrial hub of Nigeria as well as its food basket.

Fears APC could take over Akwa Ibom State
I have also heard it. They are doing so many permutations by the APC. And this is because of the outcome of election petition tribunal on some local council elections at the last governorship election. But let me place on record that Akwa Ibom is a PDP state. PDP has touched so many lives positively over years that it is now like a religion in Akwa Ibom State. And I am talking about a religion with a large followership. Here we have the type of followers that are often referred to as diehard believers. I tell you, it is impossible for APC to win in Akwa Ibom State. The party is fully rooted with structures and persons in all the electoral units of this state, such that even if elections are conducted one million times, the result will still be the same: Udom would win! Maybe, the only difference is that given the massive projects that Udom is currently embarking on and the more lives he is touching, and the way APC is also handling affairs at the country at the centre with lots of dissatisfaction by Nigerians, if it gets to that point where the outcome of the appeal demands for another election, the APC would be left with no vote at all in this state. A lot of Nigerians have now separated the reality from the propaganda as it concerns the APC. It is rather a pity that few of our brothers in the other side of the divide in this state are unwilling to say the truth which is that Akwa Ibom is fully PDP. All the talks about taking over Akwa Ibom State is nothing but the handiwork of men and women who are merely revering in fantasies.

A lot of factors have combined to make Governor Udom unbeatable. These include the factor of zoning, there is a consensus that his senatorial zone should produce a governor and no sane person can fault that; next is his capacity and antecedents which speaks volumes as the best among those that contested; and then his acceptability by the grassroots, youths and women groups. And I hope you also know that the current Senate minority leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio is from Akwa Ibom State. And the import of this cannot be lost when you consider the capacity of a man admired by thousands of indigenes of this state as an uncommon transformer to wield support from even his avid critic for Governor Udom. It is a fait accompli! A forgone conclusion that Udom Emmanuel remains governor. And I tell you, the APC are aware of this.

May I have humbly assert that last week, we in Abak Local Government Area rolled out the drums to celebrate our first 100 days in office, heralding as it were, the various achievements we recorded within the time under review. May I commend Governor Udom Emmanuel, for reposing the confidence and appointing me as the chairman of this local government. On the day of our inauguration, the governor charged us amongst other things to keep our environment clean and rid out criminals from our domain. Pronto! We set to work and today, I can authoritatively declare that Abak is one of the cleanest local councils in the state. We have empowered over 200 youth, thus taking them off the street and curbing crime in the process. We have also empowered over 20 widows with financial packages to enable them start small scale business in line with the pet project of the wife of the governor which target empowering the needy and down trodden.

-By Louis Iba
Published on Daily Sun Newspaper (December 1, 2015)

Atuekong Paul Bassey
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