2015: Chances of candidates for AKHA election

 

BY KENNETH JUDE & VICTOR UFOT

The stage is set and the die cast for a pulsating   battle for the 26 state constituency seats in the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly. Different permutations and predictions have been thrown into the emerging political scenario in the state since the historic victory of the APC at the federal level. Hence with the changing trends in the polity, the political weather has clearly taken a turn of uncertainty as regards which party or candidates will have the last laugh when hostilities gets underway on Saturday.

As we wait the for the D day with bated b breath, THE INK brings you authoritative and exclusive analysis on how the candidates stand ahead of the long anticipated polls. In Abak state constituency, Elder Friday Iwok looks sure bet to stage a return to the 7th Assembly. He is a core PDP man and enjoys almost a cult followership in the area hence political calculations in the district favour the one term legislator. 

Though, there are other contenders to the seat but it appears the PDP candidate will have a smooth ride on Saturday.  In Eastern Obolo/Ikot Abasi state constituency, it is a straight fight between Uduak Udoudo of the Peoples Democratic Party and Arboh Uduyork of the All Progressives Congress. It appears, at least from what we gathered from feelers in the area that Uduak Udoudo stands a better chance of emerging victorious following what opinion leaders consider as his political sagacity and popularity among his constituents. Aborh is of the APC and may find it difficult to topple the PDP candidate. 
 

In Essien Udim state constituency, Hon. Nse   Ntuen is poised to have a swell ride to the legislature with his chances bolstered by the Peoples Democratic Party’s stronghold in the area. Moreover, he is the council chairman and this also will play in his favour as he is said to command an unprecedented followership in the area coupled with the fact that he enjoys a cordial relationship with the state governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio. 

The female candidate of the APC, Mrs. Alice Thompson who would have posed a bit of a challenge to Nse Ntuen has seemingly lost steam following the burning of her house by thugs suspected to be working for the PDP recently. 

In Eket, had Labour Party presented a candidate, it would have a been a landslide victory for the party with the influence of Senator Helen Esuene since the PDP candidate, Hon David Lawrence is not popular among the people, but with other opposition camps not posing any threat in Eket state constituency, it has paved the way for Mr. Lawrence to clinch the ticket.  It’s a no go area in Esit Eket as far as Rt. Hon Usoro Akpanusoh of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)is concerned . The soft spoken politician is a grassroots man and enjoys a massive followership which makes it almost impossible for any other candidate to rout him in the district.
The people of Ibeno and
        

Esit Eket have vowed to  vote en masse for him hence it is a patchy terrain for other parties here. His campaigns have been deep and penetrating. He has taken his campaigns to the nooks and crannies of Esit Eket. From units to the wards, the PDP man have received tremendous support hence with all permutations favouring Hon Akpanusoh, it is surely going to be a field day for him.

Though there are pockets of opposition camps also laying claim to the coveted seat especially the APC but it is believed that the wide and massive solidarity enjoyed by the Esit-Eket born politician will overwhelm any obstacle thrown into the works. Ikot Ekpene/Obot  Akara is generally believed to be a PDP enclave hence  other opposition parties may find the terrain rough as regards which party claims victory at the end of the day.  

Idongesit  Ntekpere of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will bulldoze his way to victory using his influence as the council chairman. He also enjoys supports from various quarters especially among the elites hence he looks set to come out tops at the end of the day. Other contenders will find this terrain very difficult to sail through.  

In Mkpat Enin, the fight for  who will take over   from Rt. Hon. Ekong Sampson as member representing Mkpat Enin in the State House of Assembly is expected to be one sided as the PDP candidate Engineer Otobong Ndem is favoured to carry the day. Though, his close political associates have depicted him to be swollen with pride and bigheaded, luck is on his side due to the fact that other candidates gunning for the seat are relatively not financially buoyant to measure up with the PDP. Other parties in the race are Accord and Labour Parties. The candidate of the Accord Party Hon Udobong Obong, would have posed a serious threat if not for the huge amount of money involved in campaigns, he has fans’ base across the local government area but could not carry out effective campaigns due to lack of funds. Also, Hon Joe Akpan of the Labour party is not expected to make much impact in the election because of his unpopularity in Mkpat Enin. PDP will surely emerge victorious.
 

In Ikono state constituency, Hon Victor Udofia  is poised for victory. His political antecedents will work in his favour especially during his time as the former chairman House Committee on NDDC and Security. Many believe that he used the period to build a strong political base and thus has the needed clout to ride home to victory come Saturday. In Ini, Emmanuel Ekpenyong  aka (Iraq) of the Peoples Democratic Party is the likely winner but indications from this axis has it that the battle will be fierce especially with the APC presenting a formidable candidate in the person of one Mr. Andem who is believed to be a tactical politician and is predicted to carry the day. The race is too close to call here. As it is, it is what happens on Saturday and how the votes will go will determine the outcome of this fierce battle.

In Itu state constituency, Hon Idongesit Ituen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will have it a bit rough even though he is popular among his people. His opponent of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Idondesit Ekpanya is said to have the backing of the council chairman Mr. Michael James whose relationship with the PDP man is believed to be frosty as both men, analyst say, do not share the same views politically. The support for Ekpanya from the chairman will surely add fillip to the APC candidate and this, sources say, may prove a daunting task for Idongesit Ituen.  It’s going to be a one-way -traffic for Barr Ime Okon in Ibiono who is seeking a return to the House. He is on ground politically and has the structure needed to have his way on Saturday. He is poised for victory. Other parties are also in for a fight especially Mfon Ekerette of the APC but it will be tough for them in this terrain.
 

In Oruk Anam state constituency, the Deputy Speaker of the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Udo Kirian Akpan of the PDP is a sure bet to clinch a return ticket to the House. He is strong politically and has the much needed experience to navigate his way. He is also believed to have the backing of Atuekong Don Etiebet even though the latter is not at ease with his party at the moment. His constituents believe he has the political value and pedigree to represent them again. In this district, it’s a done deal for him irrespective of whatever threat other parties will pose.  But for the gruesome and painful departure of Obong Okon Uwah who was cut down in the run up to the general elections, it would have been a different ball game in Ukanafun. He was running for Ukanafun state constituency on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Political heavyweights in the area had backed him for the job but his murder has changed the political image here. With Uwah out of the way, PDP candidate, Otobong Jonathan Akpan has the coast clear to clinch victory in Ukanafun.
 

Uyo State Constituency has Monday  Eyoh aka (Murray) running on the platform of the PDP and is expected to ride on the back of his party to stand a chance in the tight race. The Accord Party which has Okon Joshua as its candidate is poised for victory in this one barring any attempt to subvert the wishes of the people through rigging of the polls. The APC also has Uduak P S Udo as its candidate and is said to be mega rich and is expected to use his wherewithal to outmuscle other contestants.  But if the elections are devoid of irregularities, the Accord Party man will win. In Okobo state constituency, Mrs. Felicia Bassey of the PDP will win convincingly having defeated the incumbent at the the primaries. She is of the PDP.  In Orueffong/Oruko, Okon Tom Usung will win all the way. He is a council chairman and has played his political card well and is also favoured by zoning. He is of the PDP while a candidate from the APC has no chance.

Coming to Etinan state  constituency, Barr Dennis Aniefiok has the full support of his people. Every political equation seems to favour him.  He is of the Peoples Democratic Party and is poised to win, though he faces a stiff opposition from Global Concord man Comrade Unyime Ekwere who is contesting on the platform of the APC. Political observers have tipped Unyime Ekwere to give the PDP man a close fight but the odds surely favour Barr Dennis Aniefiok who is believed to be politically astute and had defeated Akparawa Nse Ube at the primaries. 

The battle in Nsit Ibom is  between Mrs.  Mfon Ekong of the Peoples Democratic Party and the APC candidate Ime Inyang. Political permutations are in favour of the PDP candidate. The people see her as not being too headstrong which they believe will afford them the opportunity of having unhindered interactions with her. These traits, she has displayed during her time as the council chairman. The belief is that she will be easy to work with thereby brightening her chances in the polls. The APC candidate has no chance here. 

In Nsit Ubium, Hon Onofiok Luke has built a strong and unassailable image for himself and is expected to sweep his way to victory. He is loved by the people; both men women and especially the youths where he has empowered them immensely are sticking out their necks for him. His own is a done deal even though there is a fierce contest from the APC especially with UOU as the APC’s governorship candidate. This may prove little to thwart his ambition as the people have vowed to vote him en masse.

The battle in Nsit Atai is a three horse and it promises to be very interesting here. Mark Esset is the PDP candidate while Hon Sarah Elijah is running on the ticket of Labour Party (LP); John Harry is contesting on the ticket of the APC. While chances of the three candidates are as bright as daylight, analysts say that the influence of his husband, Sunny Elijah who is the political leader of the area may play in the favour of Mrs. Sarah Elijah.  Mr. Aniekan Uko of the PDP is highly tipped to win in Ibesikpo due, largely to the political influence of Prince Uwem Ita Etuk. It is not immediately clear whether the political weight of Hon Emmanuel Obot will swing votes the way of his party, APC.  

Hon Kufre Etuk is expected to sweep his  way to victory in Uruan as he is loved by the people. While other parties like the PDP are scheming to win in the area, it appears that all sentiments favour Kufre Etuk of the APC. The people of Uruan, it seems, may not entertain any other result aside from their man emerging victorious.

In Onna, it’s PDP all the way and the standard bearer for the party is Otuekong Nse Essien. He will ride on the soaring popularity of Udom Emmanuel and have the people vote en masse for him. In Ika, Hon. Gabriel Toby looks very much likely to win.

With barely two days to last lap of the elections in Nigeria, the electorate in Oron Federal Constituency appear to be in high spirits to choose their preferred gubernatorial candidate as well as House of Assembly members.

In all the four local governments that make up the Oron Federal Constituency, from all available indices and parameters, the whole process will result in a straight fight between the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party in the State and its number one challenger – APC, except in Okobo State Constituency where an APC candidate enmeshed in a legal entangle may lose the struggle for an Accord Party candidate to slug it out with Princess Felicia Bassey of PDP.
In that area, our survey revealed that the Accord Party candidate may grab the certificate of returns having been seen by the electorate there as a “grassroots politician”.

But the influence of the like of Chief Jerry Okpo for Atak Oro and Hon. Peter Linus Umoh for Okobo may make the battle not too smooth put epic. 

In Oron/Udung Uko where  the two local governments share constituency and only a seat in Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, it would have been a political battle between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Hon Efiong Okon Bassey (popularly known as Attih) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) flag bearer for Oron/Udung Uko State Constituency Hon. Victor Ini Okon a one-time councillor and later Chairman of Oron local government (also known as Swagger).

All told, Attih appears to be the preferred winner of polls because he resides permanently with his people in the junction village of Uya-Oro where both of them hail from.

And while Attih solves the people problems on hand whenever they approach him, Hon. Victor Okon resides in Uyo and Port Harcourt where he is said to be managing his Hotel business.

Added to that, the general and popular view is that Attih performed better when he presided over the affairs of Oron local government as its Chairman to the admiration of all – particularly youth, women and elders.
As some respondents during this media survey put it, “Attih is our main representative; no bandwagon effect of APC victory at the centre will influence us to vote any other party than PDP”.

Though the respondents were very evasive on their stake for gubernatorial candidates, both Udom Gabriel Emmanuel and Umana Okon Umana, but what held sway was that since the number one political juggernaut in Oron Local Government has somersaulted back to PDP, his Eyo-abasi homestead in Oron Local Government which has eight of the 10 wards would imminently upturn the table in favour of Udom Emmanuel and Effiong Okon Bassey (Attih).

For Mbo, the influence of former Chairman of the  Council, Chief Effiong Johnson who is also a Chieftain of the NFA, youth and boys leader, social and respectable mixer, backed up my another top shot Hon (Chief) Alice Ekpeyong who recently decamped to APC from PDP may likely swing the political pendulum in favour of Chief Effiong Johnson who is contesting on APC ticket.

Furthermore, the PDP candidate who is also the immediate PDP Chapter Chairman for Mbo local government area Hon Ufuo may also spring surprises due to party influence and followership he must have gander as the PDP arrow head in Mbo.

In summary, PDP may sweep Oron nation after all, due to the pushing by the Leville-led Essu Nlap Oro as yawning gap between Nsoh’s led Essu Nlap Oro Development Organization has been totally closed as both youth groups are fully back in the PDP.

Be that as it may, the die is cast! The battle line has been drawn, and at the end of Saturday April 11, the electorate will have chosen either PDP or APC.