Engr Ubong Idemudo is the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, for Ikot Abasi/Mkpat Enin/Eastern Obolo Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom State for the 2027 general elections. In this interview with our POLITICAL EDITORIAL TEAM in Uyo, the Ikot Abasi-born philanthropist speaks on why his federal constituency has adopted the NDC Presidential Candidate, His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi, and why the NDC has become the credible alternative for Nigerians.
EXCERPTS:
You are contesting for the House of Representatives on the platform of the NDC, a relatively new party in Akwa Ibom. What gives you confidence going into the 2027 election?
Thank you very much. First, the NDC is not new to the people, it is new to the ballot but its ideology is not new to Nigerians. Nigerians are tired. They are tired of hunger, insecurity, unemployment and leadership without empathy. In Ikot Abasi, Mkpat Enin and Eastern Obolo, my people are fishermen, farmers, traders, civil servants as well as young graduates who want to work.
What the NDC has done is present itself as a credible alternative. Not with noise, but with the calibre of candidates it has filed for different positions in the 2027 elections. From presidential to governorship to National Assembly, you can see competence, character and capacity. That is what gives me confidence and we’re in the race to beat and ultimately give to Nigerians across all strata, the desired good leadership.
Your presidential candidate is Mr Peter Obi. In 2023 he contested on Labour Party. Now he is leading NDC. Do you think your constituents will follow you to vote for him?
Absolutely, and I say it with all confidence. My constituents will vote for His Excellency Mr Peter Obi, and they will vote massively. In 2023, even without the so-called structure, our people showed where their heart is. They voted for Peter Obi because they believed in his message of production over consumption, of prudence, of accountability.
Now in 2027, that belief has grown stronger because the hardship has become even more biting. My people have told me clearly: we want total change, not half change. If we vote for NDC for House of Reps and another party for President, we will not feel the total impact of change. They want alignment. They want the President and their Representative to speak the same language of development. So, this is where I derive my confidence.
What do you mean by total impact of change; could you throw more light, Sir?
Let me break it down. Ikot Abasi/Mkpat Enin/Eastern Obolo is an oil-producing federal constituency, yet we have some of the worst roads, no functional cottage hospital, youth unemployment is over 60 percent, our fishermen are battling oil spills without compensation. If you send me to Abuja as NDC and you send someone else as President from a party that does not believe in our ideology, my bills on coastal protection, on Ibaka Deep Seaport link roads, on support, on modular refineries for job creation, and so forth, will die. But if my people give us Peter Obi as President and give us NDC lawmakers, we will have a government that thinks alike.
The President will assent to our bills. The budget will capture our needs. That is total impact. My people are wise. They understand that politics is not about sentiment; it is about results.
But Akwa Ibom which hitherto was a PDP state, is now considered an APC state. How do you break that dominance?
With respect, Akwa Ibom is neither a PDP nor APC state, Akwa Ibom is an Akwa Ibom people’s state. People voted PDP before because they felt it was the closest to their values. Akwa Ibom State became an APC state through the defection of the governor.
Today, those values have moved to NDC. Go to Mkpat Enin and ask the women who process garri why a bag of fertilizer is N45,000 and above. Go to Eastern Obolo and ask fishermen why they buy petrol at N1,400 to go to sea. Go to Ikot Abasi and ask graduates why they are riding okada. They are not asking for PDP or APC, they are asking for solution. Peter Obi represents that solution at the top. I, Engr Ubong Idemudo, by the grace of God and by training, represent that solution at the Federal Constituency level. NDC is the vehicle. The people are ready to switch because hunger does not know party.
What exactly has NDC done differently in candidate selection that you call credible alternative?
Look across the country. NDC did not give tickets to the highest bidder. In my own federal constituency, we went through screening, we presented our blueprints. I am an engineer with many years in oil and gas and rural electrification projects. My opponent cannot match that. In other constituencies, NDC has brought teachers, doctors, entrepreneurs, not recycled politicians who have been in government since 1999. That is credibility. And Nigerians, especially young people, have noticed. We are not promising to build bridges where there is no river. We are promising to fix roads in Ikot Abasi – Ete – Mkpat Enin, to secure shoreline protection for Eastern Obolo. These are measurable things.
If elected, what will be your first three priorities in the House?
First, I will sponsor a bill and move motions for the immediate environmental remediation and compensation for Eastern Obolo, Ibeno and Ikot Abasi coastal communities affected by oil spills. Second, youth employment through a special intervention fund for Mkpat Enin and Ikot Abasi agro-processing – we produce palm oil, cassava, seafood, but no value addition. Third, I will work with a President Peter Obi administration to ensure Akwa Ibom’s full benefits from the PIB and inclusion of our federal constituency in the national coastal road and rail projects. All these are possible only if we have a President who listens. That President is Peter Obi.
Final message to your constituents?
My message is simple: In January 2027, a few months from today, just vote NDC from top to bottom. Vote His Excellency Peter Obi for President, vote Engr Ubong Idemudo for House of Representatives, so that we can feel the total impact of change. Don’t split your vote. Total change brings total development. NDC is ready, Peter Obi is ready, I am ready.
It was a nice time sharing thoughts with you. Thank you, Sir.
It’s my pleasure.