Dr Ben Ogugua, noted that with the APC Presidential Primaries coming up from the 6th to the 8th of June, “dear Mr President, it is time to check the antecedents of Senator Akpabio and judge by his past performances, on previous positions, including the human relations and other aspects that make him well-deserving of being named Consensus candidate.”
The GAUTSO Support Group went on to state that Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio after his 20 years holding public office, both as Governor, as a Senator of the Federal Republic and presently as the Minister of Niger Delta with proven track record of sterling performance, is top choice for the Consensus Candidate position. A man with the skillset for continuity, he completed abandoned projects which were littered everywhere in Akwa Ibom State at the inception of his administration. He can be trusted to carry on the rail project from the current administration, improve the aviation and education sectors and fight crime with the boldness of a caring leader.
Senator Akpabio has records to prove his mettle where as a governor, he ran the affairs of the state for eight glorious years, during which Akwa Ibom State could not have had it any better in terms of development, popularity, and recognition. His performance in office was unprecedented, acknowledged and given resounding applause at home and abroad. It was not for nothing that Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio was known and addressed by his own people even at the national level, as the “Uncommon Transformer” coming from a state that had the satisfying slogan telling the world, ‘’We are ok’’ because their governor made sure that Akwa Ibom was indeed ok.
One doesn’t write his own praise songs but praises emerge from the highest positions in the land. So, has been the case with Obong Godswill Obot Akpabio when in clear terms, the former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, testified to Akapbio’s uncommon transformation of Akwa Ibom State during one his official visits. President Jonathan said “One thing I have seen today is that the projects I have seen are not just projects, but with very high quality…And I’m quite pleased with that because the Governor is not just playing politics with projects; it is so glaring that he is committed to changing things.”
Under his leadership, Akwa Ibom State was described as “a construction site.” Every local government in the state got its share of well-planned and solidly constructed roads. He can replicate this across Nigeria as well as other projects like the first E-Library in West Africa set up in Akwa Ibom state. The e-library boasts of about 70 million downloadable e-books and 30 million books in print with in-built alarm system to safeguard the resource materials.
As much as Senator Akpabio invested in infrastructural development of Akwa Ibom, his greatest achievement and what will always stand him in good stead with Akwa Ibomites remains his investment in human beings. Across the state, Akpabio touched lives. He put many through school, gave them jobs and erected houses for the poorest of the poor. He empowered women acknowledging them as the cradle of development of the society; his desire for the best for the womenfolk could be said to stem from his love for his four daughters and a son, to get the best from the Nigeria of tomorrow.
Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio is a detribalized Nigerian, with credentials of a statesman who has always supported a united Nigeria. He is top choice for his party’s Consensus Candidate position. As a visionary leader his level of commitment, hard work, passion and deep sense of service to good governance in the country, are rare qualities which Nigeria needs today for a better Nigeria tomorrow. H.E. Obong Godswill Akpabio is the best fit for a Consensus candidate given his natural endowments of youth, capacity, forthrightness, fearlessness, can-do spirit, love for the masses, track record of excellence in governance and foresight.
Dr Ben Ogugua, concluded by saying, “Senator Akpabio did it in Akwa Ibom, earning local and international accolades; he will do same and more for Nigeria, as the Consensus Candidate of high esteem.”
