The postponement of the 2015 general election, which was to begin February 14 nationwide, has resulted in minor changes by the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in its campaign rallies. The party has already visited 25 of the 31 local government areas of the state to hold campaign rallies seeking the votes of its supporters for all its candidates, including the campaign for the election of Udom Emmanuel, its gubernatorial candidate.
According to a statement, campaign rallies to the remaining local government areas would now take place by next week with the final rally taking place at Onna, the home local government of the gubernatorial candidate. Meanwhile, the party’s campaign train has berthed at Ibeno and Esit Eket Local Government Areas of the state, two core oil-producing communities in which the gubernatorial candidate has given assurance of more investments to create employment opportunities.
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Ibeno is home to the operational base of Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN), operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company joint venture and is set to host the first ever privately funded petroleum complex. The ground breaking had already been performed by President Goodluck Jonathan while Esit Eket where the managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Bassey Dan-Abia hails from, is also set to witness huge investments in infrastructure. Addressing the rally, Emmanuel listed the completion of the ongoing dualization of Ibeno-Eket-Etinan-Uyo road up to Ikot Oku Ikono junction, construction of rural roads in Ibeno, youth empowerment, among others as some of his vision for Ibeno.
He promised to attract more oil and gas firms and to encourage the mechanisation of fishing in the area, while working with the relevant security agencies to combat piracy on the waterways. He used the opportunity to intimate the people that the promoters of the Petrochemical Industry proposed for the area have already finalised arrangement for the take off of a 3000-housing unit in the area.
At Esit Eket, the governorship candidate promised to accord priority to youth empowerment, roads construction, infrastructure and human capital development as well as the expansion of the industrial base in the area. With the visit to Ibeno and Esit Eket, the PDP campaign rally has four local government areas to cover in the state which according to the rescheduled programme would be visited next week.
