Gov Eno Unveils Broad-Based Campaign Council

By Etim ETIM

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, on Sunday unveiled a broad-based campaign council comprising the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, APC chieftains and other senior politicians in the state and formally launched his reelection bid with a dedication church service. Senator Akpabio is the grand patron of the 300-member council, while the governor is the chairman and state coordinator.

There are three vice chairmen: the deputy governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi; Minister of State Petroleum (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo and APC State chairman Stephen Ntukekpo.

The DG of the Campaign Council is former Nigerian Ambassador to Russia, Chief Assam Assam, SAN. He was also the DG in the 2022/2023 campaign season.

Many other political heavy weights are included, reflecting the party’s recent transformation. Among them are former Petroleum Minister Don Etiebet; former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Obong Umana Umana (he was, in 2015, the first APC governorship candidate in the state); Mrs Unoma Akpabio and former Deputy governor Nsima Ekere. The campaign organization also includes a director in each of the 329 wards, while the local government chairmen will serve as coordinators in their respective domains.

The strategy is to decentralize the campaign and give the ward directors and Local government coordinators enough latitude to drive the campaign at the grassroots level.

The Ward directors are actually very senior politicians who have contested elections before. They include former deputy governor Nsima Ekere; Senator Bassey Albert; and current deputy governor Akon Eyakenyi, who are coordinators in their respective wards. For effect, the governor has named himself as the coordinator in his ward. The ward directors are also expected to constitute their respective campaign team which should include party agents and canvassers at of each polling unit. The governor’s objective is to generate considerable momentum before the polls and pull in at least 95% of the total votes for the president, himself and all other APC candidates.

The communication team is headed by the Commissioner for Information Aniekan Umanah and Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Ekerete Udoh, among many others.

At the dedication service, Gov. Eno urged the campaign council to approach its assignment with humility, discipline and dedication, noting that the idea of holding commencing his campaign with a dedication service to seek God’s guidance and protection.

‘’We are here to seek God’s guidance and protection in this journey. Akwa Ibom people has been at the center of our leadership and we shall pursue our reelection with peace, honour, discipline and respect for one another’’, the governor said to a congregation of over 6,000 worshippers. He warned against promotion of personal interests and internal rancor that could distract the party from its collective responsibility. A similar church service was held in 2022 to herald his election.

Akpabio also spoke of his confidence in the campaign council, predicting that Akwa Ibom would return the highest number of votes for President Tinubu in the South-South zone.

Since he was elected Senate President through the support of the president, he said it was imperative for AKwa Ibom people to vote massively for the President and all other APC candidates. Akwa Ibom has 1.3 million registered voters.

With the inauguration of the campaign council, a hectic season begins with two major rallies in the state this month, one organized by the governor’s support group, Arise with Renewed Hope Initiative, on November 13 and the other by the Presidential campaign council five days later.