Why Eket Is Rewarding Udom Emmanuel

The remarkable defeat of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the presidential and National Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom State was not surprising to many. However, the scale of defeat that even the leader of the party in the state, Senator Godswill Akpabio lost remarkably was shocking to many.

Everywhere in the state it was bad news for the party that had boasted that it was going to send Governor Udom Emmanuel packing.

The APC lost all ten federal constituencies and three senatorial seats to the PDP putting a lie to the claims of the party that it was set to put the PDP to flight in the state.

Undoubtedly, the success of the PDP according to nearly all political actors flows from the way and manner the Emmanuel administration has impacted upon the people of the state.

In all three senatorial districts, the impact of the governor has been seen and deeply appreciated.

Unlike in previous elections where some aggrieved communities would attack a governorship candidate coming to seek their support for re-election for neglect and marginalization, Governor Emmanuel was widely accepted in all the communities and local government areas he toured during his campaigning.

Some Akwa Ibom indigenes even recalled that the convoy of the two past governors of the state were stoned in some areas or even chased out by angry youths during their re-election campaigns especially in the Oro axis of Eket senatorial district as a result of neglect, and non fulfilment of promises made to them earlier.

However, Governor Emmanuel was widely received in all nook and cranny of the state.

The Eket senatorial district where the governor hails from is definitely giving  massive support to their own.

In fact some of the people appear very happy that for the first time since 1999 they are feeling the impact of government in their communities.

And the development appear also to have reduced youth restiveness in the areas who pride themselves as the oil producing areas of the state.

Past government witnessed ceaseless protest by the youths of the each of the local government areas following marginalization and neglect.

 Eket senatorial district comprises Eket, Onna, Ibeno, Mkpat Enin, Ikot Abasi, Eastern Obolo, Udung Uko, Oron, Mbo, Okobo, and Urueoffong/Oruko local government areas.

Even key stakeholders of these areas especially Eket local government area in particular never hid their disappointment that past governments failed to give Eket infrastructure befitting its status as a metropolitan city, and as the local government area that houses expatriates operating in the oil fields in the senatorial district.

However, the development projects ranging from roads, industries attracted to the area by the Governor Emmanuel led government seemed to have put to rest the agitations and angst.

Among the projects, that the Governor Emmanuel administration has executed in Eket local Government area in the past few years include the International Market, the reconstruction of the Township stadium.

Even more, the nearly completed re-modeling of the Eket town is expected to give a facelift to the long abandoned local government area. 

In Onna Local government area within the senatorial district among the projects attracted by the administration are the syringe factory, the metering and flour factories, while in Mkpat Enin LGA there is the Coconut plantation and Refinery. The plantation extends to Eastern Obolo LGA.

Buttressing the achievements of the governor a former Minister for Women Affairs and Social Development, and the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party, LP in 2015 General Election, Senator Helen Esuene, who hails from Eket in a recent interview said, “From Ikot Abasi to Oron nothing happened in the years of the last administration.

“Then what was being repeated almost like a theme song was that 49 roads have been built in Eket local government, until one day I was asked by the former governor that isn’t it so, and I replied yes, and that the 49 roads added up to a total of 15kilometers. You may think that each of those roads are about 2kilometers and 3kilometers. No, they were just little adjourning streets here and there. 

But today we can point to three major things done by this government within the past three and half years. We have the ultra- modern stadium that is ongoing. In fact, most of the trappings have already been imported and ready to be fitted. We have the Eket-QIT road that was a deathtrap. We had so many accidents on that road but today you can drive comfortably on the road, which is now a dual carriage”

Some local government areas such as Mbo have also benefitted from the administration by way of appointment of the indigenes into key positions in the state.

The appointment of Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem an Mbo son as Secretary to State Government SSG an Mbo also won governor Udom Emmanuel lots of commendation and support from the people and stakeholders of the area.

 In fact it is on record that no indigene of the area had been appointed into key government position since 1999. Apart from giving the people a sense of belonging in government it appears to have also erased the feeling that they were treated as second class citizens in the state.

 The reconstruction of General hospital Iquita in Oron Local government area which is about to be commissioned as well as road constructions in some long neglected local government areas like Udung Ukoh have also boosted support for governor Udom in the senatorial district.

It is for this reason above many others that the people of Eket Senatorial District are pitching their tent with the Governor Emmanuel administration.

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