2015: I’ll be the first female A’Ibom governor – Helen Esuene ... Says Oron should go for Senate

BY EMMANUEL AKPAN

The Senator representing Eket Senatorial District in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Helen Esuene has said she will emerge the first female governor in Akwa Ibom State come 2015.

She stated this last week Saturday during a solidarity visit to the Godswill Akpabio Internatonal Press Centre, Information Drive, Uyo.

Esuene who is the Chairman of Senate Committee on Women Affairs and Youths Developments, said her aspiration to become the next governor of the State come 2015 has been a long planned project and having garnered a lot of experience over the years in various segments of the society, Akwa Ibom people stand to benefit from her wealth of experience if elected Godswill Akpabio’s successor next year.

The Senator while addressing members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) maintained that as the first female Akwa Ibom governor, she will run a true democracy system of government. “As the governor of Akwa Ibom State, I will run a true democracy system of government, a government of the people, by the people and for the people. I will run a transparent government, a government which will have the interest of the people at heart and I will create jobs for the masses especially the youths”.

The governorship aspirant who noted that though it was not yet time to disclose her manifesto, she has many things in her kitty which will be disclosed at the appropriate time. She strongly emphasized that 2015 election should be the season to give new people a chance in governance in Akwa Ibom State particularly the women folk.

The Eket Senator while commending Godswill Akpabio for his infrastructural developments across the State used the opportunity to appeal to the decision makers in the State and the PDP to see the need to give a woman a chance to become the next governor. “The governorship seat has been zoned to Eket Senatorial District and I am from Eket Federal Constituency as well as a PDP card carrier, so I’m qualified and stand a better chance to win the governorship election by the grace of God”.

On the issue of her core mandate in the Senate, Helen Esuene said for the past three years, she has been very active in the discharge of her duties and that the Women Affairs and Youths Development Committee headed by her has been the most active committee in the National Assembly. Mrs. Esuene who promised never to run for a second term in the Senate said her decision to go for a single term was to give Oron Federal Constituency a chance to test the seat come 2015 since the creation of the State, a decision which she said was part of her campaign promises in 2011 to run for a single term.

In her words, “it is time for Oron Federal Constituency to produce the next senator of Eket Senatorial District, as for me, I personally vowed that I will only go for a  single term after which I will contest for the governorship position of the State”.

The Senator congratulated NUJ led by Elder Patrick Albert for the recent ground breaking ceremony of Godswill Akpabio International Press Centre which was performed by the governor, saying that the present NUJ exco has attracted the government’s presence within their short stay in office and that her visit was to encourage the NUJ led by Elder Patrick Albert in his uncommon transformation. 

While she charged journalists in the State to be guided by the ethics of their profession in their reportage, she disclosed that in 2014 Federal Government budget; she was able to get some budgetary amount appropriated to enable the State chapter of the Union commence the NTA station in Eket which has been abandoned for some years now.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, the NUJ chairman, Elder Patrick Albert thanked the senator for honouring the invitation and promised the support of NUJ members for her ambition. He assured her that the media has not taken a position to stand by any aspirant or politician as the general election draws nearer in the State.