The re-election bids of President Bola Tinubu, Governor Umo Eno, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio ahead of the 2027 general elections are gaining momentum in Akwa Ibom State, following the inauguration of the ARISE With Renewed Hope Initiative across various local government areas.
The latest inauguration took place in Uruan Local Government Area on Saturday, where political stakeholders declared their support for the trio.
In his welcome address, Surveyor Iniobong Ekpenyong reaffirmed the unwavering loyalty of the Uruan people to Governor Umo Eno. He described the area as an impenetrable stronghold of the current administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In separate goodwill messages, the Chairman of the Board of Internal Revenue, Mr. Okon Okon; the Commissioner for Internal Security and Waterways, Gen. Koko Essien; the Member representing Uruan State Constituency, Hon. Itoro Etim; the Senator representing Uyo Senatorial District, Senator Aniekan Bassey; and the Managing Director/CEO of the SSDC, Ms. Usoro Akpabio, pledged their support. They also promised to intensify grassroots mobilisation to secure an overwhelming victory for President Tinubu, Governor Umo Eno, and other APC candidates in 2027.
Speaking at the event, the President-General of the initiative, Engr. Uwem Okoko, said the group was formed to promote what he described as the achievements and democratic credentials of President Tinubu.
He portrayed Tinubu as a visionary leader who sacrificed personal comfort, business interests, and family life in the struggle against military rule and in the fight to restore democracy in Nigeria.
Recalling his days as a student at the University of Lagos during the military era, Okoko said Tinubu was regarded as a hero and role model by many young Nigerians who yearned for democratic governance.
“If not for leaders like our President, some of the positions we occupy today, including that of a local government chairman, might still have been under military administrators,” he said.
Okoko further stated that, in his view, none of the individuals who have sought Nigeria’s presidency in recent history possesses stronger democratic credentials than Tinubu.
He added that the people of Uruan had resolved to vote for the President and pledged robust grassroots mobilisation in support of his administration.
On the leadership of the National Assembly, Okoko noted that since the tenure of Joseph Wayas from 1979 to 1983, the South-South region had not produced a Senate President. He credited President Tinubu for the political backing that led to Akpabio’s emergence as Senate President, describing him as an “uncommon senator.”
He charged the newly sworn-in officials of the ARISE With Renewed Hope Initiative to immediately commence comprehensive ward and unit mobilisation strategies to strengthen grassroots support ahead of the 2027 polls and ensure the full realisation of the group’s vision.
