TheCable

The Godswill Akpabio Uncommon Transformational Support Organisation (GAUTSO) has asked the former Akwa-Ibom governor to contest for the 2023 presidency.

Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, on Tuesday, Bennett Akar, spokesperson of the group, said the next president of the country should be someone who understands how to close the infrastructure gap speedily and ignite economic growth.

The group noted that the only Nigerian who has a track record of delivering infrastructural development on a large scale is Akpabio, the Niger Delta minister.

“Senator Godswill Akpabio as governor of Akwa-Ibom state had no rival among his peers. His footprints are stamped all over the state years after he had left office. That is evidence. Rather than cut corners, he delivered qualitative and durable projects,” Akar said.

“I remember vividly when he was sworn in as governor, he said infrastructure is the basic foundation of any state and brings development. He went on to deliver mega projects such as the Victor Attah International Airport and the 30,000 capacity nest of champions stadium, which has now been rechristened Godswill Akpabio stadium by the current governor, and  the 302-bed  Ibom Multi-Specialty Hospital

“Akwa Ibom under his watch was a huge construction zone with roads, bridges and flyovers.

“Virtually all parts of the state was touched by his drive for infrastructural excellence. His intervention had the immediate benefit of changing the landscape of the state and attracting investors and tourists to the state.

“We applaud the Buhari administration for its infrastructural interventions, but the only person who can take it a notch higher is Senator Akpabio because he had always seen it as the key to unlocking our potential and fast tracking our development.”

Akar also added that as minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Akpabio has used his position to steer the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in the right direction in the area of infrastructure.