…insist mandate is earned, not arranged
“We cannot accept a continuation of leadership that has not translated into measurable progress for our constituency.”
Agency Report
The people of Ibiono Ibom State Constituency have strongly rejected what they describe as an attempt to impose an ineligible candidate on them ahead of the 2027 general elections.
This follows recent claims by the member representing the constituency, Hon Moses Essien suggesting that his return for a second term is already secured through political arrangements and alignments.
Stakeholders and concerned citizens under the platform of Ibiono Ibom like-minds expressed deep concern over the development, insisting that democratic leadership is neither negotiated behind closed doors nor guaranteed by elite agreements.
According to the group, representation must be earned through tangible performance, visible empowerment, job creation, and meaningful infrastructure development—none of which, they argue, have been sufficiently demonstrated over the past three years.
“The mandate of the people is not for decoration or assumption,” the group stated.
“It is earned through service, accountability, and impact. We cannot accept a continuation of leadership that has not translated into measurable progress for our constituency.”
They emphasized that the 2027 elections will be determined solely by the will God and that of the people, not by political calculations or private arrangements, stressing that mandate is earned, not arranged.
The group also called on the State Governor, whom they described as a symbol of peace, equity, capacity, and goodwill, to ensure fair play in the selection of candidates, warning that presenting a candidate from another zone could jeopardize the party’s chances in the elections.
Reaffirming their stance, the stakeholders declared that the era of silent acceptance is over and zoning must be adhered to, stressing that the people of Ibiono Ibom are united in demanding credible, people-oriented, and result-driven representation.
They further cautioned that any attempt to impose a candidate against the will of the people would be resisted at the polls.
“The people are watching, and the people will decide,” the statement concluded.
It could be recalled that Governor Umo Eno, during his recent public speeches had declared that all the members of the national assembly would be re-elected.
In one of such speeches, the governor emphatically stated that he had agreements in the APC, apparently before joining the party, and insisted that he would keep to those agreements.
If the governor’s body language and political pronouncements are anything to go by, all the members of the state and national assemblies who were elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), but decamped with him to the APC, would be re-elected, irrespective of any existing zoning system.
One of the implications, according to a political analyst, Prince Jackson Akpan, is that: “…those APC members who suffered and kept faith with the party right from inception and nurtured political ambitions through the platform, will have all their hopes dashed.
To such set of faithful APC politicians, Gov Umo Eno’s defection into their party is a curse rather than a blessing”.
