TheCable

BY PATRICK EKONG

It is not bad enough that Nigerians are at the pinnacle of hardship and suffering with the outrageous rise of an already high cost of living, but there is an obvious conspiracy of silence among the elites and leaders who were voted into power to serve and make life better for the people. Presently, Nigerians have to suffocate themselves before they can afford basic commodities like food items and petroleum products, yet the National Assembly is more concerned with CBN’s policy on new naira notes. It is no longer a question of if Nigerians voted a wrong set of people into power, but a question of how they can avert a worse calamity by properly utilising the opportunity of the upcoming 2023 general elections.

First, it is critical to identify the key factors that contributed to the country being where it is today. Misfits and incompetent people did not just teleport themselves into power. They are a product of people’s bad decisions, and very unfortunately for the suffering masses, these misfits are not only determined to sit tight in power but also want to populate the government with their kind. The 2023 election is therefore a make-or-break for millions of Nigerians yearning for a better country; every vote will be as critical as ensuring that only competent people are voted into all the Houses of Assembly, Houses of Representatives, Senatorial Districts, governorship and the presidential seat. This election will be a lifeline for the country.

As one of the most disenfranchised people in the country, Eket Senatorial District must seize the 2023 election to work out their own freedom. The people of the Senatorial District must know that it is absolutely not possible for a party that has kept her in ruins since time immemorial to bring rescue now. So, for starters, the idea of voting a candidate just because the Party has enjoyed the people’s support of the years should not even be a consideration in the forthcoming election. The people must ask critical questions like why is the Party always supreme only during elections but never in alleviating hardship and suffering in the state? Why is the Party not demonstrating her supremacy to help the government control the rising cost of fuel in the state? Why has the Party not been supreme in helping retired primary school teachers get their gratuities despite years of protests and appeals?

Eket Senatorial District is undoubtedly the highest contributor to the revenue of the state, yet the people are living in penury and abject poverty. Local government areas in Oro, despite being oil-rich communities, are still begging to be recognised among the oil-producing areas in the state. Yet, they have representatives in the State and National Assemblies. Every now and then, we are greeted with news reports of attacks on traders in the coastal communities of the Senatorial District. Despite the abundance of both natural and human resources in Eket Senatorial District, there has not been any significant effort by the current crop of representatives to create opportunities for leveraging these resources. Almost every part of the Senatorial District is wallowing in underdevelopment. It is, therefore, imperative for the people not to gamble with the 2023 elections because another wrong choice will be potentially very catastrophic.

There is a need for due diligence in making the choice of the next Senator for Eket Senatorial District. The people have had the firsthand experience of incompetency and must not allow themselves to be cajoled under any guise into further walking the path of self-destruct. Their choice must be someone with the willpower to push the interest of the Senatorial District to any level without any fear. The people must go for a man who has the reach beyond politics to bring opportunities to the extremely talented and hardworking youths across the Senatorial District. The people must be intentional about choosing a man whose victory will not only unify the Senatorial District but will reposition her for development. Their choice must be someone with a good record of service delivery but not a believer in politics of exploitation and deceit.

Dominic Ubpong Essien (DUE), the candidate of Labour Party for Eket Senatorial District, possesses all the aforementioned qualities and more needed to deliver quality representation in the Senate. Mr Essien is one of Nigeria’s emerging leaders in politics and business, who has consistently lent his talent and expertise to reinventing the country through investment in her socio-economic development. DUE, who be 48years by June, has both the age advantage and intellectual capital to lead the much needed shift from the largely uninspiring leadership debacle that has pushed the country and her people into the current quagmire. His pact with Eket Senatorial District is one that will bring about collective development and shared prosperity for the people. For Eket Senatorial District, choosing DUE will be an act of due diligence, one they will always be grateful for.

Ekong writes in from Mkpat Enin LGA.