PROTOCOL
I am most humbled as I stand before my Governor, his dear wife, party faithful and friends to express my gratitude to God who it has pleased to make this Special State Congress successful and grant me the opportunity to serve our great party as the new State Chairman. I am stepping into the big shoes left behind by my brother and former State Chairman, Obong Udo Ekpenyong who passed on early this year. We will surely miss his towering presence in our great party. Today in his memory I renew my hope and commitment to the lofty, patriotic and visionary dreams of our founding fathers who gathered with other Nigerians on 19th of August 1998 in Abuja to give birth to this party.
Let me give all glory to God in whose strength and grace I accept wholeheartedly, with gratitude, this mandate which you have given me and my colleagues already in the State Working Committee, State Executive Committee and other levels, to serve the party and the state at this time of our history.
At this juncture, let me pay tribute to the doggedness, hardwork and team spirit of our former State Chairman, late Obong Udo Loyalty Ekpenyong for the 100 percent success recorded by our party during the Local Government Elections held last year in the state, and for other achievements he recorded within the five months he served as the State Chairman of our great party. May I crave your indulgence to please be upstanding to observe a minute’s silence in honour of the departed former State Chairman, late Obong Udo Loyalty Ekpenyong. May his gentle soul rest in peace – Amen.
The task ahead of us is enormous. Let me state here that even with the enormity of this task. I am happy to be part of this vision and to be honoured as the new chairman of our great party in the state. I know this gives us the responsibility of living to the plans of the progenitors of this vision.
Let me inform all of us that today, I have made a covenant with my God that I will strive to develop and elevate our great party to higher heights and make it an envy of all. I will ensure that the machinery of leadership from the wards to the state level is properly ordered and enthroned. I wish to assure all of us that we shall strive in all circumstances to be fair, just, impartial, reasonable in all dealings and relationship with our stakeholders and members.
We shall create a level playing field for our members in every aspiration. The task before us is enormous but not insurmountable. I pledge that our team will provide the needed synergy that would galvanize a qualitative, acceptable and beneficial succession that will drive our completion agenda home to the admiration of all. I therefore wish to assure His Excellency, the Governor, Elders and Members of our great party, that by the grace of God and with your full support we will achieve those great tasks.
Before I conclude, your Excellencies, Distinguished Senators and Members of House of Representatives, National Officers, Members of the State Assembly, State Executive Council Members, Elders, Stakeholders, dear delegates, and friends, I wish to put on record that the PDP administration in the state led by our amiable Governor, Mr. Industrialisation, has delivered on our party’s campaign promises to the people. In fact, I make bold to say that the PDP is still the only party that holds the key and hope for a better Nigeria.
At this point, I therefore wish to congratulate our State Governor for successfully hosting the PDP Governors who recently met in Akwa Ibom State. The various projects inspected and commissioned by the Governors, who are themselves merchants of light, were testaments to your outstanding achievements, Your Excellency.
Your Excellency, the contributions you have made in building bridges of unity and goodwill across Nigeria, attracted the PDP Governors to converge on our state for their meeting, this time around. Consequently, the State PDP under my chairmanship will continue to lean on the crest of your leadership and wise counsel to deliver on our mandate.
As I look back in the past six years, I have beheld across various sectors: Aviation, Industry, Health, Power, Agriculture, Education, Roads, Youths and Sports, the numerous flagship projects that dot the state landscape. These projects have substantiated the fact that our Governor has delivered on his mandate.
Finally, I wish to sincerely thank the past chairmen of our great party, who laid the solid foundation for us to build on today. I appreciate you all (including, Obong Uwem Ita Etuk, and Obong Paul politics Ekpo) for your commitment which sustained the PDP in the state as a party with unbroken string of victories in Akwa Ibom for the past 22 years.
Let me once again assure all our people that as a party we shall stand behind our Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel to ensure that our state continues with its winning streak for the PDP and that a successor in the mould of our Superior Performing Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel will succeed him in 2023.
I present myself and the machinery of PDP in Akwa Ibom State for service, your Excellencies, Distinguished Senators and Members of House of Representatives, National Officers, Members of the State Assembly, State Executive Council Members, Elders, Stakeholders, dear delegates, and friends.
Thank you and God bless PDP and Akwa Abasi Ibom State.
PDP – Power to the People
PDP – Power to the Youths
PDP – Power to the Elders
PDP – Power to the Women
PDP – Power to you, you and you watching us from home and in the office.