“Taking money to vote the wrong person is to mortgage your future, that of your children”_ Ekefre tells delegates

An ardent supporter of Senator Bassey Albert Akpan’s gubernatorial ambition Elder Enefiok Ekefre has said that the senator’s desire to occupy the Hilltop Mansion, the official residence of Akwa Ibom state governor is premised on the call and general acceptability by the people of the state.

He disclosed this while speaking with Journalists at the Akwa Ubok Abasi Campaign Office of the aspirant in Uyo, the state capital.

“He is willing to serve. In my village, he has empowered some people. He would have used the money he is using to empower the people to buy houses outside the country. That is the kind of leader Akwa Ibom people want. If PDP knows better, the best man to win the election for them is Bassey Albert. I want the elections to be free and fair. Bassey Albert is the best for the office, not a siren or a visiting Governor.

“The consultations are like rallies. People believe in him. I assure the national leadership of PDP if Bassey Albert wins the primary election, that will be the end of opposition in the state”.

“Our future is in your hands. Taking the money they promise you to vote for the wrong person is to mortgage your future and that of your children”, he warns the delegates.

Ekefre who is the former Honorary Special Adviser to Governor Udom Emmanuel on Grassroots Mobilization, charged the supporters of OBA to disregard the rumours making the rounds that the forthcoming primaries would be conducted in the army barracks, noting that it is masterminded by state actors to intimidate the surging supporters of the aspirant before the primaries proper.

“Such baseless plans would be difficult to impose in Akwa Ibom State”, he stressed.

“Of course, we have been running a democracy since 1999. What has the democratic process got to do in a military barrack? That is an indirect way of intimidating the people, which is what we are against. We need a level playing ground.”

According to him, in a country operating democracy, it is against the law to conduct a governorship election in a military or police barrack, stressing that irrespective of the kind of illegal plans plotted against OBA, he will still emerge as the governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2023.

Elder Ekefre condemned what he described as ‘politics of ingratitude’ as manifested in the State, and frowned at a situation where some people would attempt to impose an unpopular aspirant without antecedent on the innocent citizens.

“They will fail woefully because OBA has captured the minds of the masses with his life-touching projects across the state”.

Commenting on the speculation that OBA might decamp to another party, Ekefre said, “There is nothing of such. He joined the PDP when he was in the bank. No visitor, I mean no visitor can make him leave the party”

On the former Chief of Staff, Mr. Ephraim Inyang – Eyen’s boldness, Ekefre said, “it is an indication that we still have people who can come out and say the truth”.