Afrigather 
Voters in Akwa Ibom will be part of their counterparts throughout the nation to elect their governors and lawmakers on Saturday, March 18 as introduced by the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC)
If the outcomes of the presidential election held on February 25 by which PDP swept the polls are something to go by, it will be protected to say that PDP is in for a landslide victory as soon as extra, a celebration that has its stronghold firmly established within the state.
It could have been this power and resilience of the get together in Akwa Ibom State that may have been the mind behind its resolution to launch the presidential marketing campaign within the state. Governor Udom Emmanuel who contested the presidential primaries was named the chairman of the presidential council.
Although the Presidential Election has been misplaced and received accordingly, the stage seems set for an additional epic battle within the governorship and state meeting polls to be contested by high three political events within the state.
In opposition to this backdrop, observers say it’s prone to be a three-horse race between the PDP which has been in energy within the state since 1999, the Younger Democratic Get together (YPP) shaped only recently and the All Progressives Congress (APC) which through the Presidential and Nationwide Meeting elections recorded some upsets as a serving member of the Home of Meeting and former commissioner for Data and technique, Aniekan Umanah was defeated and the previous governor, Godswill Akpabio selecting the Akwa Ibom Northwest senatorial seat on the platform of the APC.
Trying on the efficiency of the PDP within the state because it first received the governorship election in 1999 with Obong Victor Attah because the governor, Akwa Ibom State has moved steadily from a bit unknown state to the nationwide limelight, delivering high quality infrastructure in all elements, from good highway community, worldwide sporting services within the three senatorial districts, high quality healthcare services, launching of an airline, Ibom Air with a sensible terminal constructing and profitable the cleanest state award consecutively for greater than 4 years just like the Channels Tv has received the very best TV station within the nation repeatedly.
One can’t overlook in a rush the lately constructed bridge which is adjudged to be the longest bridge ever constructed by a state authorities within the nation situated in Mbo Native Authorities Space within the thick of the Akwa Ibom south senatorial district, the money cow of the state. It was a challenge that considerably bolstered the efficiency index of the get together within the growth of high quality tasks in addition to bringing growth to all nooks and crannies of the state.
Apart, Akwa Ibom State beneath PDP has launched its power-for-all challenge which aimed toward linking many communities that had been with out electrical energy to the nationwide grid, in partnership with the Transmission Firm of Nigeria, it has constructed energy injection stations throughout the state and guaranteeing that some elements of the state together with the economic belts and lots of residential areas take pleasure in a minimal of 18 hours of uninterrupted energy provide.
On the economic turf, the get together has launched into an bold industrialisation scheme to create jobs for teens and has pursued the institution of factories throughout the state vigorously.
In accordance with one observer, the PDP beneath Governor Udom Emmanuel whose tenure ends Could 29 has been the one administration that has taken the pursuit of business growth to a brand new excessive. With the soon-to-be inaugurated automobile meeting plant in Itu, an electrical energy metering manufacturing facility and one of many largest syringe factories within the state, it industrial scheme has take the look of an industrial revolution.
Add the flour mill manufacturing facility to the lengthy checklist of factories, it will be fairly clear that aside from the administration of late Clement Isong of 1979 to 1983, himself a former governor of the Central Financial institution of Nigeria (CBN), no different administration in Akwa Ibom State has taken the coverage of business growth as severe as the current administration within the state.
The get together’s governorship candidate, Umo Eno, a former member of the state govt council, a well known entrepreneur and hotelier who has weathered many political storms is campaigning on the theme of continuous with the peace, stability and safety as enabled by his predecessor. Umo Eno who’s backed by key stakeholders together with former governor Attah and lots of others together with a bunch of the clergy has a growth blueprint for the financial consolidation and enlargement within the state tagged ‘ARISE Agenda.’
In understanding the acronym the place A represents Agriculture, R for rural growth, girls and youth empowerment, I for infrastructure, S for safety administration and E for financial and industrial development, one can see clearly that the candidate of the PDP means enterprise within the coming election and he seems to be forward of others in detailing his programmes.
To his added benefit can be a collapse alliance with different political events which had been within the works and was supposed to current a standard entrance towards the rising affect and broad acceptability of the get together.
“Obong Bassey Albert, popularly known as OBA, a candidate of the YPP shouldn’t be stepping down and won’t step down for any candidate in any respect,’’ Emem Akpabio, chairman of his marketing campaign organisation was quoted by the media as saying lately.
Albert, a former commissioner for finance through the administration of Godswill Akpabio and a senator, was a member of the PDP till he misplaced out within the energy recreation when it was sure that he wouldn’t safe the get together’s governorship ticket. He has since launched his governorship marketing campaign throughout the state.
Albert, who’s from Akwa Ibom Northwest similar to Umo Eno, has promised to activate the state’s economic system with authorities actions by immediate fee of promotion arrears to civil servants, saying it’s what civil servants use in creating property and shopping for automobiles.
“Each native authorities space within the state may have no less than 50 kilometres of roads,” he was quoted as saying lately throughout his campaigns.
For the APC governorship candidate, Akan Udofia who additionally hails from Akwa Ibom North East, he was till Could final yr, a member of the PDP. He was mentioned to have taken half within the get together’s governorship primaries. His candidacy was a topic of a authorized problem as much as the Supreme Courtroom primarily based on the method of his nomination. Having been given a clear invoice of well being, he has launched his marketing campaign and promised to deliver prosperity to Akwa Ibom State, however has but to elaborate how this might be achieved.
He would have obtained a giant increase to his ambition if the YPP governorship candidate had agreed on the alliance which might have seen members of the YPP vote for him within the governorship polls. However with the collapse of the settlement, Udofia’s possibilities of profitable the approaching election have gotten slimmer.
