ESD 2023: Group Endorses Ekong Sampson for Senate

 

By freshgist

A non governmental organisation under the aegis of Amana group of companies has endorsed Dr Ekong Sampson as sole candidate for  Senate, Eket Senatorial District, Akwa Ibom state.

The endorsement took place  in uyo over the weekend by the chairman of the Amana groups of companies, Engr. Sir EDET Amana, who declared total support for Dr Ekong Sampson as candidate for Senate, Eket Senatorial District, Akwa Ibom South come February 25, 2023 national assembly election. 

Sir Amana,a renowned engineer and one time presidential aspirant under the platform of the defunct All People Party who threw his weight behind Dr Ekong Sampson said that the candidate is eminently favoured by the zoning arrangement upheld in the region for the Eket Senate seat.

According to Amana, "Go and tell everybody that I am supporting Ekong Sampson for Senate and I'm so proud of saying this publicly today because from experience he remains the best for the job and zoning favours him. 

Dr. Ekong Sampson, former two term member of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, has continued to enjoy waves of support across the high, mighty and the grassroots base in Eket Senatorial District for his senate bid. 

Sampson goes into the Snate race with a rich background, having served as Chief Legislative Aide to Senator Udoma Udoma in the 2000s. He then went on to be Chairman of Council, Mkpat Enin and later Honourable Commissioner for a number of years across various ministries in the Akwa Ibom State Government.

ISD 2023: I'm Not Fronting For Akpabio - YPP Candidate

 

                      Rt Hon Emmanuel Ekon

By Freshgist 

Ahead of February 25th, 2023 Senatorial election, the Akwa Ibom North-West (Ikot Ekpene) Senatorial District leading contender on the platform of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Ekon, has cleared the air on the controversy making the rounds that he was fronting for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

In an interview with our correspondent in uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, the former House of Representatives member for Abak Federal Constituency, dismissed the rumour as "a deliberately orchestrated propaganda by mischief makers with evil intent to break the ranks of my teeming supporters across the 10 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom North-West."

Ekon, a former two - term member and Chairman of the Local Content Committee in the 9th National Assembly, noted that "the major aim of the purveyors of such infantile and baseless falsehood are my competitiors who are afraid of my towering popularlty amongst the electorates, who are willing and ready to join hands with me address decades of discrimination and injustice against the people of Abak Federal Constituency, who had never produced a Senator in the last 60 years."

Urging his teeming supporters to "disregard the cheap lies intended to again rob the Abak Federal Constituency of its long and overdue right in 2023", Ekon recalled that the slot had over the years been rotated only between the Ikot Ekpene, Ukanafun/Oruk and Ikot/Ini Federal Constituencies, leaving the zone he described as Abak--3, comprising of Abak, Etim Ekpo and Ika, to wallow in wanton underdevelopment, infrastructural decay and joblessness amongst the youths.

He said: "I, and Godswill Akpabio, we don't belong in the same political party. Godswill is a member of APC,from Essien Udim LGA in Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency.  By the grace of God, I am a candidate of the YPP, from Etim in Abak Federal Constituency. My major mission is to return to the Red Chamber in order to address these injustice meted on the zone for several years.

"I thank God for Chief Don Etiebet, he is a Board of Trustees (BoT) member of the APC, from Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency. He pointedly told Akpabio to leave this contest for only contenders from Abak--3, for the sake justice, equity and fair play, yet he (Godswill) remains adamant, even when it was obvious that the former Deputy Inspector General of (DIG) Udom Ekpoudom, my kinsman from Etim Ekpo LGA, was on the verge of getting the ticket.

"I am urging stakeholders, elders, leaders and youths including all eligible voters from the zone to rise up against this bare-face impunity and injustice against a people who had over the years chosen the path of honour to wait for these number of years. Therefore, we must take the battle in our hands to correct this anomaly with our Permanent Voter's Cards (PVCS).

"So, I am appealing to everyone desirous of this all important change to be armed with their PVCs to effect this necessary change peacefully, so that empowerment, jobs and infrastructural development can also locate the people in other areas. Godswill surrendered the slot in 2019 to outgoing Senator Chris Ekpenyong, his kinsman from the same Federal Constituency. Now, he is angling for the same seat again, it's to stop this unhealthy cycle for equity and fair play.

"I have been there for eight years in the Green Chamber and the records are there. As the Chairman of the Local Content Committee for four years (2015 -2019), beneficiaries of oil industry job and training, scholarships, skills  acquisition, empowerment and infrastructural development are there for people to see courtesy of my effective representation.

"Then the latitude of my representation was small, this time around, going to the Red Chamber with your support, I promise to bring a new narrative of development as a ranking member with larger latitude. I understand the essential needs of the people as we campaign across wards and villages of the Senatorial District.

"Let there be fresh air in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, the the young ones embrace a new paradigm shift from the old order. I understand people are being paid N10,000 for their PVCs, I want to implore you, If they come to you, collect the money, it's your own, but don't trade your conscience because if you do, you have sold your for eight years."

FUEL HIKE: Rights group tasks Emmanuel, DSS, ors to intervene in A’Ibom

 

Otuekong Franklin Isong, Akwa Ibom state Director of Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network

By Fresh gist

A rights group under the aegis of Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network, has urged the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, the Department of State Services, the Department of Petroleum Resources and other relevant agencies to wade into the hike in price and adulteration of petroleum products in Akwa Ibom State.

The CHRAN state Director, Otuekong Franklin Isong,  disclosed this while unveiling the state executives of the organisation at Watbridge Hotel and Suites in Uyo on Friday,  added that apart from the hike in pump price of fuel, his office had received reports of many fuel stations selling adulterated petrol which has resulted in damage of fuel pumps and engines of many vehicles in Akwa Ibom State, urged the DSS to extend the ultimatum it gave to marketers in Abuja to revert to government approved pump price to Akwa Ibom State and ensure that the ultimatum is complied with by petroleum marketers in the state.

He expressed sadness over the agencies inability to do their work perfectly, as they keep remaining silent over the sufferings of Akwa Ibom people, as marketers have pegged the price of fuel at N300 even with adjusted meters.

Cross section of CHRAN Excos, Akwa Ibom state

The CHRAN director urged the DPR to do more in the area of monitoring the filling stations to ensure that they are not dispensing in adjusted meter or adulterated products.

 he also called on the Special Assistant to the Governor on Petroleum Matters, Mr. Victor Etefia, to “live up to his responsibilities”, ensuring that marketers comply with the government prescribed price, even as he wondered why no filling station had been sealed off or sanctioned for flouting government’s directive.

His words, “Where did we get this fuel price increase from? why are we buying a litre of fuel in Akwa Ibom at N300 and above? I cannot understand where this is coming from. The pumps in most areas are adjusted and the fuel itself adulterated and nobody is doing anything about it.

“CHRAN is using this medium to call on the SSA to the Governor on Petroleum Monitoring, Mr Victor Etefia, to rise to the occasion and address the people of the state on the matter. Let’s know why we are getting fuel at N300 and above per litre, what is the cause of it? Let’s know why the pumps are adjusted, we want to know why we are getting adulterated fuel in Akwa Ibom?

“Recall that in the days of former SSAs, they used to monitor filling stations to know what is happening there and any erring station would be sealed off. We are also calling on DPR a subsidiary of NNPC whose duty it is to check the malpractices of petrol stations to come to Akwa Ibom State to see what is happening here.

“We are calling on the DSS that issued ultimatum to marketers in Abuja that they should revert to the official pump price because this particular increase, is economic sabotage. We are asking the DSS in Akwa Ibom why they have not gone to check the pump price in the state? We are suffering, we are calling on the state government, the SSA to Governor on Petroleum Matters, the DPR, and the DSS to intervene as the suffering is untoward.”

Speaking on the lined up of activities of the newly inaugurated executive of the organisation, Isong said the group would organise a town hall forum for all the governorship candidates in Akwa Ibom State, where each candidate would speak about his blueprint and how he intends to implement it, if elected as governor of the state.

He also hinted that CHRAN would monitor and track all projects executed at the local government levels  by the 31 council chairmen before their exit in order to know how the local communities were faring and draw the government’s attention were necessary.

“We are going further to look at the local government and see how the communities are faring so also we will be doing with the House members. You can’t stay at the comfort of your home to know what the government is doing, rather we have to go to the field. So CHRAN is going to give a good balancing to government because the state governor cannot be everywhere at the same time, all we need in the state is good governance.

“We want the candidates during our town hall forum to speak on their manifesto and explain how they will implement the programmes and manifestoes,” he said.

CLO Chairman resigns, assumes CHRAN State Director in A'Ibom

  

BY freshgist

The Chairman of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Akwa Ibom State chapter,  Otuekong Franklyn Isong has resigned from office.

The resignation came immidiately after he was appointed as the State Director, Center For Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN) Akwa Ibom Council.

Isong who resigned while serving his second tenure as the CLO chairman disclosed this in a press conference in Uyo on Friday following the approval of his resignation at the CLO's Congress held on Thursday, January 5, 2023.

Otuekong Isong said it was neccessary for him to leave to avoid conflict of interest and to give undivided attention to his new office as both offices perform similar functions.

He, however, promised to work with the new Executive of the CLO for the betterment of the people and urged them not to hesitate to seek his advice when the need arises even as he thanked CLO members and the public for the support given his leadership in all his advocacies as the CLO chairman.

His words, "I thank members of the press and the public for supporting the advocacies we had carried out for the past years I was the Chairman of CLO.

"I started as the  Publicity & Campaign Secretary of the CLO and then the Vice Chairman after that I became the Acting Chairman before I became the Chairman. I had traversed all the levels of leadership in the State and I have paid my dues in CLO.

"As they said,  'whatever has a begining must have an ending', in 2023, I got a new appointment as the State Director, Center For Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN) and that will automatically conflict with my activities in CLO.

 "So two days ago, I resigned in our state Congress and I told my members that we will still rub minds together, that I'm still a member of CLO but, cannot function as the state chairman anymore."

Isong also highlighted some of his achievements as the chairman of CLO which included more of advocacies for good governance in the country and in Akwa Ibom State; holding public office holders accountable, and making inputs in public hearings organised by the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly on Bills.

Birthday anniversary

 

Ghanaian actor JOHN DUMELO celebrates 72 years  birthday🎂🎂🎂 of his Lovely mother ANTOINETTE Amah DUMELO🌹🥀🎊