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Tag: Akwa Ibom STate

  • Akwa Ibom Governor heaps praises on Senator Akpabio

    Akwa Ibom Governor heaps praises on Senator Akpabio

  • Umo Eno: Food is ready in Akwa Ibom – By Aniekan Umanah

    Umo Eno: Food is ready in Akwa Ibom – By Aniekan Umanah

    By Aniekan Umanah

    Many have asked, what is this Bulk Purchase Agency by Akwa Ibom State bringing to the table? With the signing of  the Bulk Purchase Agency Bill into law by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, expectedly that would  be the question, like a refrain on the lips of many Akwa Ibom people? They would truly be wondering, how “bulky” is the Bulk Purchase Agency?

    Yes, watching the governor run his golden pen through the pages of the protected destiny of Akwa Ibom people, assenting to the Bulk Purchase Agency Law, was enough to saturate the Exco Chambers with the imaginary aroma of food security for Akwa Ibom people especially the vulnerable. Food is not just ready for consumption but the sumptuous menu in the buffet of the Bulk Purchase regime brings everything good to the table. It is a table prepared for the people by a leader who sees food and nutrition as part of good governance.

    There are so many take aways from the  new Akwa Ibom State Bulk Purchase Agency which is simply an intersection of food availability, accessibility , affordability , price stability with food security. The agency comes as grains of grace to the needy and vulnerable members of the society. It is a responsive governor’s initiative to challenge hunger hovering over Nigeria.

    The Bulk Purchase Agency is intended to put hunger under the mirror in Akwa Ibom State and dissect same to the happiness of families.

    The signing of the Bulk Purchase Agency Bill into law in the month of March shows that there is something special in March for Governor Umo Eno and Akwa Ibom people.  Remember, it was In March 2023,  that Akwa Ibom people gave Pastor Eno bulk votes, and in March 2024, the governor chooses to reward them with food from the bulky warehouses of the Bulk Purchase Agency.

    Every responsible government prioritizes the welfare of the people in line with the basic needs of humanity. That is why the United States of America, the United Kingdom and other model democracies pay special attention to food and nutrition especially for low-income families, the elderly, children and  those in emergency situations. This is often actualized through bulk purchase of food products. The US for instance operates such special feeding programmes, engaging in bulk food purchase to stabilize prices in agricultural commodity markets by balancing supply and demand. Similar programmes run in the UK with special concerns for the less privileged.

    The Bulk Purchase Agency initiated by Governor Umo Eno is a replica of these programmes in other successful climes of the world.

    The Bulk Purchase Agency is established pursuant to the poverty reduction and price stability goals of the economic blueprint of the ARISE Agenda as an interventionist agency and a redemptive measure for the procurement and distribution of essential food items at subsidized prices to as palliative to cushion harsh economic situation and ensure food availability, affordability and price stability while scaling up agriculture through boosting local food production to achieve food sufficiency.

    By this, Governor Eno aims at cushioning the effects of high cost of living on the citizenry. He is emphatic that the social register will be used in the programme so that the food will go to those who need it most, and not an opportunity for people to play sentiments and cause the aim of the well thought out initiative to be defeated.

    The seriousness of the governor in ensuring that the programme succeeds necessitated series of sensitization and enlightenment meetings with stakeholders, market unions and traders, Personal Assistants to the Governor from across the 368 wards in the State, and meetings with other critical and relevant players in the agricultural sector, including the potential vendors and accredited agents when the programme officially kicks off. All of these were at the instance of the governor, and the message was loud and clear: “this programme must not fail.”

    The collaboration with the market and traders’ union, the 368 Personal Assistants to the Governor who are on ground, supervision of the Ministries of Economic Development, Agriculture and Rural Development as well as the Bulk Purchase Agency gives the assurance that the programme will succeed. It is the only way to reciprocate the passion and compassion of the governor for the poorest of the poor.

    The programme is basically a food security and subsidy initiative where the government will buy food items in bulk from the traders at higher prices, and sell them to the people at reduced rates, such that government bears the high cost on behalf of the people. The aim is not to put the traders out of business but to collaborate with them for the programme to succeed. It is to be a win-win situation.

    While the initiative is not to work at parallel with the traders, however, in an unlikely eventuality of the agents not complying with the agreement reached for the good of the society in terms of prices or hoarding, the Visioner was unequivocal in stating that government will open Sunday markets and flood same with food to mitigate any untoward occurrences.

    This sucour driven programme is an initiative that flies in transparency right from conception. The targeted beneficiaries will collect their vouchers and go to the redemption centres and branded shops of the agents to redeem their goods after confirmation. In order to avoid sabotage on the programme through printing of fake vouchers, the printing of the vouchers is done strictly by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Agency, Lagos.

    The accredited centres for the redemption of food vouchers shall be found in selected shops and market across the 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom State.

    There shall also be buffer warehouses where food shall be bought and stocked to guarantee long term availability, while incentives shall be given to the accredited agents, a good percentage to motivate and encourage them to be committed and transparent in the process.

    So, it is not just food that the bulk purchase agency is bringing to the table, it is also bringing money, business and work will join to make the table full!

    But the governor sees the Bulk Purchase Agency as just a victory in a match, not the entire tournament. He is now calling on all to redouble effort for the State to win the tournament by extending the victory of Akwa Ibom State over food crisis beyond the interventionist arrangement of the Bulk  Purchase Agency to massively make food available and affordable across Akwa Ibom State, where the State will grow what it eats, and eats what it grows.

    Governor Eno believes that for Akwa Ibom State to tick all the boxes in food sufficiency, there must be more tractors in the farms than SUVs in the streets, to make the State more of a production economy than a consuming economy.

    When he traversed the length and breadth of the 31 local government areas of the State, he was as consistent as he was emphatic that agriculture will sit at the right-hand side of his his priority list as a governor of Akwa Ibom State. A promise keeper, he did not only do as he promised, he also made sure that agriculture was the leader of the pack as the first alphabet in the acronym of magic, A.R.I.S.E which is the both an expandable agenda and the governance Bible of his administration.

    This made him to juxtapose agriculture with rural development, seeing both as Siamese twins. In that spirit, he started with agriculture. He led a high-powered delegation of Akwa Ibom people to Songhai Farms in far away Port Novo, Benin Republic to understudy the secret of the success story in agricultural revolution in that country with a view to replicating same in Akwa Ibom State.

    At a stretch, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the both parties resulting to the commencement of work at the Ibom Model Farms in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area. When completed, the Ibom Model Farms will be a modern-day Garden of Eden because there is nothing man will need to survive that that farm will not have, and more. The idea is that such farms will also spring up in other parts of the State as soon as the local government chairmen of the respective areas donate the land to the State Government.

    And Governor Eno keeps on calling on the local government chairmen to fast track the process of donation of lands for government to swing into action immediately.

    Governor Eno’s vision for  agriculture also informed why among the first places he visited upon assumption of office were the moribund Akwa Palms Limited where he gave financial lifeline to be injected into the investment for an expected boom; as well as the green houses where he called for emergency diagnosis, prescription and treatment of the facility.

    While waiting for all these to bear fruits, the governor’s position is that the Bulk Purchase Agency should not make the people to be complacent and rest on their ores. To him, there is still work to be done in the “farm.” Hence, his charge to his 368 personal assistants to, as a matter of must, ensure that they own personal farms, even if that means collaborating with other members of the community. Failure to do so is as dangerous as taking away the appointment from such defaulter.

    The governor has an outsized vision for the agriculture sector. He was emphatic during his campaigns that he will ensure that Akwa Ibom people achieve the full value chain in agriculture, incorporating storage and processing of agricultural products to distribution and marketing of agricultural products. This is hoped to be juxtaposed with agro-allied industries.

    Governor Umo Eno believes agriculture is beyond the art and science of cultivating the soil for the purpose of growing crops for man’s use, or tending of livestock. To him, the beauty of agriculture is when its full value chain is achieved. That is where Akwa Ibom State is headed. The governor himself is the number one farmer in the State; his lushly vegetated policies and programmes in agriculture say so beyond the rubric of rhetoric to actualities.

    The recently signed into law Bulk  Purchase Agency  Legislation is a kicker to the emerging screaming headline of agricultural revolution in Akwa Ibom State.

    Pastor Umo  Eno has shown clearly through his bulk purchase initiative that money banks may go bankrupt, food banks may run out of commodities but ideas bank can never fail. But interestingly ironically, he who owns the ideas bank has the money and food banks in his palms. Ideas are the cheques to cash in the banks of money and food to draw food security and good life. Governor Umo Eno passes for the chairman of the Bank of Ideas and custodian of this good governance initiative represented in the Bulk Purchase Agency.

    Of the truth, food is ready in Akwa Ibom State. It is food with delicacies of sustainable meals, money, business, poverty alleviation and empowerment.

    Akwa Ibom State is into a thrilling and fulfilling experience in agriculture and food sufficiency. For now, the dessert to wet the appetite is the Bulk Purchase Agency.

    Food is  indeed , ready; what is your order?

    Aniekan Umanah writes from Abak, Akwa  Ibom State

  • Group urges Akwa Ibom govt to enforce Map-2023 law to end crisis between oil communities

    Group urges Akwa Ibom govt to enforce Map-2023 law to end crisis between oil communities

    Wevole Ezin, Calabar

    The people of Eket in Akwa Ibom state have urged the present Akwa Ibom State Government to immediately enforce the State Map law-2023 as a step that will permanently resolved the issues of Oil Rich Stubbs Creek Reserved Forest impasse between Eket and Ibeno.

    Coming under the umbrella of Uku Ndito Ekid, foremost community based group, the Eket people said the Ibeno people have no moral or legal claims to ownership of the said oil rich land.

    President- General of the group, Mr William Job, made the call while briefing some Journalists in Eket at weekend on the sideline of the face –off between the people of Eket, Esit Eket and Ibeno, that resulted in the ongoing communal crisis that disrupts economic activities in the area.

    The group issued a stern warning to Ibeno people to “stay clear of the Oil Rich Stubbs Creek Reserved Forest, fondly called Akoiyak, as it is the exclusive historical and ancestral land of the Eket people, even, as they (Ibeno) have no moral or legal ground to lay claims to its ownership”.

    The group insisted that Akoiyak as the legitimate land of Eket people dates back to several judiciary pronouncements of 1916 and others which such judgments have not been upturned nor faulted by any court of competent jurisdiction.

    “The Stubb Creek Reserve Forest (A.K.A) Akoiyak is the historical heritage of Eket people, a right they have enjoyed since the creation of humanity and supported by several judicial pronouncements by competent courts since 1916. This right of ownership has never been upturned nor faulted by any court” Job asserted.

    He saluted the courage of Dr. Samuel Udonsak – led Aboriginal Coastal communities of Akwa Ibom State for collaborating with the people of Eket in their quest to ensure no inch of the said Akoiyak is ceded to anybody, corporate or private for any purpose.

    He said ,“I salute the patriotism of Dr. Samuel Udonsak and others for taking the lead in our determination to ensure no inch of our land is ceded to anybody no matter whose ox is gored. This cannot happen in our lifetime.”

    According to him the face-off lingered for decades because successive administration in the state lacked the political will to address the issues or refused to do the needful in this circumstance for some inexplicable reasons.

    He said despite the refusal, the ownership of the said land is legally and historically vested in Ekid people as bonifide owners.

    Job specifically urged the present administration in the state to immediately enforce the State Map law-2023 as a step that will resolve this issues permanently, saying, “this map should also be published in state documents such as dairies, souvenirs, calendars etc and such document given to both state and federal agencies for immediate compliance”.

    He further averred, that “government cannot acquire our land for over ridding public interest and thereafter, sell it to private company for profit making purposes as was obtainable in the case with BUA Group. Thus procedure of acquisition therefore makes the operation of BUA Group at Akoiyak illegal and strange to the laws of our land.

    “If for any reason, a part of the reserved forest is de-reserved, BUA group should have met and negotiated its tenancy in Akoiyak with the people of Eket, but regrettably, the government took side with Ibeno against Eket who are the beneficial owners of the reserved forest.

    “These act of the government cannot be divorce from the ongoing hostilities that has attracted wider dimension. The government should therefore act immediately to save the situation before it degenerates further.” The President warned.

  • YPP denies collapsing structures into APC

    YPP denies collapsing structures into APC

    The Young Progressives Party (YPP) says it has not collapsed its structures into the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa-Ibom.

    Mr Martins Egbeola, YPP National Publicity Secretary said this in an interview on Monday in Abuja.

    “The news of YPP collapsing its structures into the APC is not only false but a figment of the imagination of some group of individuals who lack basic understanding of institutional protocols having been used to impunity.

    “While the movement of politicians from one political party to another is well within their fundamental rights, it’s however insensitive, cruel and wicked to misinform the public in desperate pursuit of vain political glory.

    “Even though the YPP since registration has been consistent in ensuring the highest level of transparency, fidelity and commitment in our attempt to build an ideologically driven political party.

    “It is quite unfortunate that some individuals who have been given opportunities on our platform have failed to reciprocate these virtues thereby making the urgent review of the process of leadership recruitment in our great party inevitable,” he said.

    Egbeola said that some YPP members like Sen. Bassey Albert actually left for the APC but still had its structures intact in the state.

    He said that the Akwa-Ibom chapter of YPP was over six years old with potent structures across all the state.

  • Man hacks mother to death over food in Uyo

    Man hacks mother to death over food in Uyo

    For starving him of food, a 23-year- old man, Akaninyene Isaac, has allegedly killed his mother in Oruk Uso Otoro village, Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

    The Akwa Ibom State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Odiko MacDon, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen in Uyo on Monday.

    MacDon said that operatives of Abak Division arrested the suspect on Wednesday for allegedly murdering his 55-year-old mother, Christiana Isaac.

    The command’s spokesperson said that the suspect had reportedly confessed to killing his mother for failure to provide him food for over three days.

    MacDon quoted the suspect as saying, “I used a machete to inflict grievous injuries on her, leading to her death.”

    He said that the suspect would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.

  • ICYMI: Tribunal upholds election of Akwa Ibom Gov

    ICYMI: Tribunal upholds election of Akwa Ibom Gov

    The Akwa Ibom Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal on Friday upheld the election of Gov. Umo Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The tribunal, in a two and a half hours’ judgment, also dismissed the petition of Sen. Bassey Akpan of Young Progressives Party (YPP) who had challenged the election of the g.overnor.

    Delivering the unanimous judgment on the matter, the tribunal held that Eno did not present forged WAEC certificates j as claimed by the petitioner, describing Akpan’s petition as ”frivolous and .

    The panel’s judgment, which was read by its Chairman, Justice Adekunle Adeleye, held that a WAEC official, who was summoned via a subpoena as PW10, authenticated the governor’s certificates.

    “WAEC did not disclaim the 1981 and 1983 WAEC certificates. Without a disclaimer by the issuing authority, the certificates remained valid.

    “There is no legislation in Nigeria that a person’s name should be arranged in a particular order on a document.

    “In the absence of any other person holding claims to the said 1981 and 1983 WAEC certificates, I hold that the certificates belong to the 2nd Respondent.”

    “Even the 1st Petitioner himself told the court that he was a victim of the same issue as three documents bearing his name tendered as exhibits before the tribunal carried different arrangements of his name, Sen. Akpan, Sen. Akpan Bassey Albert and Bassey Albert Akpan. This is a case of a pot calling a kettle black,” the tribunal ruled.

    The tribunal also upheld the preliminary objections bothering on jurisdiction and non-qualification of the 2nd Respondent, and declared that Eno was eminently qualified.

    It further ruled that an earlier judgment of the Supreme Court in the case filed against Eno by Mr Akan Ekpe Okon was binding to all human beings in the world, including the petitioners.

    Adeleye fumed at the petitioners for abuse of judicial process in resurrecting the matter which had already been buried by the Apex Court.

    The tribunal also decided that the petitioners lacked the locus to challenge how the 3rd Respondent (PDP) conducted its primaries to produce a candidate.

    In striking out the accusations of electoral infractions leveled against Mr Iniobong Robson, the tribunal ruled that the said person was not joined as a respondent in the case by the petitioners and any decision taken under such circumstances would amount to lack of a fair hearing.

    On another WAEC certificate of 1998, which the petitioners claimed belonged to the 2nd Respondent, the tribunal upheld the objection of the 2nd respondent.

    The panel ruled that it was a fresh allegation that was not in the main petition, adding that the time for amendment of petitions had long elapsed, hence the petitioners were merely attempting to spring surprises, contrary to the provisions of the law.

    The tribunal also dismissed the testimonies of APC wards and local governments collation agents who were paraded as witnesses of the petitioners, stressing that their testimonies were ”speculative and mere .

    According to the tribunal, a particular witness, PW16, one Daniel Akpan, who was presented by Sen. Akpan as a staff of the University of Uyo, is in fact a liar.

    It explained that the witness claimed to have been admitted as a student of Quantity Survey of the University of Uyo in 1998 and graduated in 2021, spending over 22 years for the course.

    The panel also wondered how a senior staff of a university could not know the meaning of CONTISS, could not remember his telephone number, did know his gross salary and take home pay and came to the court with mask and fez cap, an indication that he was hiding something.

    Accordingly, the tribunal discountenanced the evidence of the said Daniel Akpan, described him an impostor and dismissed all the exhibits he tendered.

    On the report of a ”so-called” statistician (PW17) relied upon by petitioners, the tribunal ruled that the report was of no probative value because it was founded on reports of petitioners’ unit agents, who were never called to give evidence on their reports.

    The tribunal also held that the statistician, who confessed to having not been involved in any electoral matter before, also admitted being well paid by the petitioners and as such had obligations to please his clients.

    The Election Panel further held that the 2nd Respondent’s Witness, RW1, Uwem Okoko, tendered all the local government results of the election and none was objected to by the petitioner, hence was the reason for its decision to uphold same.

    Reacting to the judgment, the Counsel to the first, second and third respondents, Paul Bassey SAN; Uwemedimo Nwoko SAN; and Mr Emmanuel Enoidem, respectively, expressed satisfaction with the verdict.

    They called on all parties to support Eno to move the state forward.

    The petitioners’ counsel, Mr Tunde Olaola, however, said that the tribunal was not the final bus stop, so there was room for his client to appeal the judgment.

  • Tribunal dismisses APC’s petition against Akwa Ibom gov, Eno

    Tribunal dismisses APC’s petition against Akwa Ibom gov, Eno

    The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State has dismissed a petition brought by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Akanimo Udofia, challenging the election of Pastor Umo Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the March 18 poll.

    Udofia sought the disqualification of Pastor Eno’s election on the grounds that he presented forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and also did not score the highest number of valid votes in the March 18, 2023 Governorship elections.

    Udofia also accused the 2nd respondent of being convicted by an Abuja Magistrate Court, hence not qualified to be fielded for elections.

    But in favour of Governor Umo Eno (the 2nd Respondent), the tribunal in its unanimous decision, ruled that the allegations of substantial non-compliance with the electoral law in the conduct of the elections were not sufficiently proven by the petitioners in their case.

    The Justice Adekunle Adeleye-led panel also ruled that the magistrate court, in its judgment, nullified its earlier conviction of Pastor Eno and that once a judgement is nullified, it ceases to exist.

    On the issue of the qualification of the 2nd Respondent, the tribunal maintained that the Supreme Court had already determined that Pastor Eno was the authentic owner of the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) certificates he submitted to INEC.

    The lead judgement read by Justice Kadi Usman Sikudu also held that the petitioners having alleged that Pastor Eno was not the owner of the certificate he submitted to the 1st Respondent, INEC, did not produce any other person, as the authentic owner of the said 1981 WAEC certificate.

    The tribunal also expunged the evidence tendered by the petitioner’s subpoenaed witness, an acclaimed Interpol officer, who came to tender a report on the 2nd respondent’s WAEC results.

    On the petitioner’s allegation that the PDP made use of public office holders, such as one Uwem Ekanem as a collation agent in Ikot Abasi local government area, the tribunal ruled that Uwem Ekanem’s membership of the board of Ibom Power Company, cannot be classified as political office and that a party agent’s membership of a company’s board was not sufficient reasons for a candidate to be disqualified.

    The Tribunal ruled that Akanimo Udofia’s petition lacked merit as he was not able to establish one polling unit in which there was non-compliance with the electoral law in the March 18 Governorship elections.

  • Court of Appeal orders arrest of Senator Bassey Akpan over fraud

    Court of Appeal orders arrest of Senator Bassey Akpan over fraud

    The Calabar Division of the Court of Appeal, on Friday, June 23, 2023 upheld the conviction of Senator Bassey Albert Akpan on money laundering charges by a Federal High Court, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and ordered his arrest.

    Justice Agatha Okeke had on December 1, 2022, found Senator Akpan, then governorship candidate of the Young Progressive Party, YPP, guilty of seven-counts of money laundering preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and sentenced him to 42 years imprisonment, without an option of fine.

    Akpan was prosecuted on allegation of receiving vehicles valued at N240 million as bribe from companies linked to one Olajide Omokore, a contractor who executed a N3 billion contract for the Government of Akwa Ibom State whilst Senator Bassey was Commissioner for Finance and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee. The offence contravenes Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and is punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

    However, dissatisfied with the judgement, Senator Akpan on December 29, 2022, approached a Vacation Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, presided over by Justice S. I. Mark of the Federal High Court and secured a post-conviction bail on health grounds. But upon release from prison, Senator Akpan continued with his campaign to be governor of Akwa Ibom State and subsequently approached the Appellate Court in Calabar, to set aside the judgement of Justice Okeke.

    While arguing against the appeal, counsel to the EFCC, Ekele Iheanacho urged the Court to uphold the judgement of the lower court, dismiss the appeal and revoke the said bail granted to Senator Bassey on the grounds that “the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and the charge was validly filed”.

    Delivering judgement today, the three-man panel of the Appellate Court, led by Justice Raphael Chikwe Agbo, upheld the conviction of Senator Akpan but varied the sentence by granting the appellant an option of fine.

    The Court also affirmed that the appellant should restitute the sum of N240 million to the Federal Government through the EFCC and that the said restitution shall not be a prerequisite for his release from the correctional facility.

    The Court finally revoked the bail and ordered the arrest of Senator Akpan.

  • YPP wants Akwa Ibom election tribunal relocated to Abuja

    YPP wants Akwa Ibom election tribunal relocated to Abuja

    The Young Progressives Party (YPP) has appealed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria to relocate the sitting of the Akwa-Ibom Governorship Petition Tribunal to Abuja.

    Mr Egbeola Wale-Martins, the National Publicity Secretary, YPP, said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

    “Desperate times calls for desperate measures, hence we call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayade Ariwoola to as a matter of urgency, move the ongoing Governorship Petition Tribunal in Akwa-Ibom to Abuja.

    “This is in order to put a halt to the desperation of the PDP to cow everyone including the tribunal into submission. It is important that the trbunal continue to maintain neutrality, which is already threatened by the unlawful actions of the PDP.

    “In addition, we call on the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun to use the Akwa-Ibom situation as a litmus test and send a strong message to police officers who have made themselves available as willing tools in the hands of the state government.

    “Adequate security protection should also be given to all our key witnesses and relevant YPP stakeholders in Akwa-Ibom,” he said.

    Wale-Martins said that the party was hopeful of winning the case, if given the chance to proof its points at the tribunal.

  • Akwa Ibom Governor, Pastor Eno congratulates Senate president Akpabio, ask for collaboration

    Akwa Ibom Governor, Pastor Eno congratulates Senate president Akpabio, ask for collaboration

    Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has sent congratulatory messages to the newly elected Senate president of the 10th National Assembly ,Godswill Akpabio who is also an indigene of the state.

    Pastor Eno also reiterared his readiness to work with the newly elected senate president in the country.

    .This was contained in a press statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Ekerete Udoh on Tuesday and made available to journalists in Uyo shortly after the inauguration of Senator Akpabio as the Senate President.

    Describing the election process as free, fair and credible, the governor said politics was over and now is the time for governance, appealing that all political actors work across party lines for the development of the state.

    The statement read “on behalf of the government and the good people of Akwa Ibom State, I send you our hearty congratulations on your emergence as the Senate President of the 10th National Assembly.

    “The process was free, fair and transparent and is a testament to the deepening of our democratic traditions and ethos. I have always said that politics is over and it’s time for governance, and that, demands we work across party lines to advance the cause of our development.

    “We stand ready to work collaboratively with you, to move the needle of development, growth and progress of our dear state in particular and the Nation in general. Once again, congratulations and God’s speed. “