Newsfront Online …Telling the Public as it is
By Saviour Ekpe
The Itu/Ibiono Ibom House of Representatives Hopeful in the 2023 election, Rt. Hon. EkomAbasi Akpan has decried what he described as a high the level of injustice, marginalization and political abandonment of the people of Northern Ibiono Ibom local government area.
EkomAbasi made this known during a media chat in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. He noted the extent in which Northern Ibiono has been marginalized since 1957 political dispensation till date, the political bloc has not produced any member of the House of Representatives while other blocs have produced, “we have five political blocs in Ibiono Ibom local government area, these are Eastern Ibiono that is made up of wards 1 and 2; Western Ibiono, wards 3 and 4; Southern Ibiono, wards 5 and 6; Central Ibiono, wards 9 and 10 and Northern Ibiono, wards 7, 8 and 11. It is on record that all other blocs or zones have produced members of the House of Representatives at one point or the other except the Northern Ibiono, this is a high level of injustice and marginalization meted on a people”.
Rt. Hon. EkomAbasi Akpan, the immediate past Executive Chairman of Ibiono Ibom local government area also observed that in the current political dispensation, apart from the office of the Vice Chairman of Council, there is no political office that is allotted to anybody from Northern Ibiono, “for instance, in Eastern Ibiono, they have five political office holders; Western Ibiono, 10; Southern Ibiono, seven; Central Ibiono, four while Northern Ibiono only the Vice Chairman of Council. What evil have we done that despite our population, size and number of political wards; we are relegated to the background? I want to use this medium to call on the state PDP Chairman to please, look into the issue with a view to helping us politically”.
The House of Representatives Expectant said that if he is given the opportunity to represent Itu/Ibiono Ibom in the National Assembly, he will, apart from giving effective representation, create wealth, initiate several empowerment programmes that will benefit the people directly while he will take the security of the people of these areas very seriously given its proximity to water and state boundary, “I am a man that is highly security conscious, I understand the terrain of Itu and Ibiono Ibom and the belligerent nature of the people that surround us, especially the interstate boundary, we will do our best to secure and protect our people. I have done this at the council level, where I fenced round one of the major markets in Ibiono Ibom; I fenced round the council secretariat and other key places of interest for the safety and protection of our people, I wouldn’t take the people for granted”.
