Obong Kingsley Mbre, founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Eket, is highly experienced and accomplished businessman. He has brought professionalism and pragmatism to bear in his profession to bolster development and progress in Akwa Ibom State. Excerpts:

 

Governor Udom Emmanuel rode on the back of Senator Godswill Akpabio to win the governorship election in 2015; on whose back will he ride in 2019?

I want to disagree with you on that impression. Udom Emmanuel’s emergence as Governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2015 was the result of our collective decision as a people. His emergence was divine. He was destined for the office of the Governor. He came to consolidate and build upon structures his predecessors, Obong Victor Attah and Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, put up. For wants of time, I will not want to talk about the achievements of Obong Attah and Chief Akpabio because they are there for everyone to see. And for these, the greatest thing they have given to the people of the state has been succession, making sure someone that will build on their accomplishments succeeds them. Because it would have been a terrible thing for all of these foundations to be laid and a wrong person come to build upon it. So, Udom Emmanuel came as the people’s choice. For 2019, he has also become the people’s choice. The several endorsements by the people of the state are testament to this fact. We do not need any soothsayer to tell us this. So, we should be very grateful to God.

 

The Governor has received a number of endorsements from various groups, like you rightly said, do you think these endorsements are well deserved or just a show of sycophancy?

First and foremost, people are entitled to their own opinions and the popular opinion is that Governor Udom Emmanuel deserves a second term. That is the reality on ground. Governor Udom Emmanuel consults a lot and he connects with the people and this is because he is a very intelligent man that knows the people of the state believe in him and they have entered into a covenant with him. For them, giving the Governor a second mandate from 2019 is a non-negotiable issue.

 

As a person, I believe in justice, equity and fairness. And I want to put forward strong argument to support my position. All the endorsements done so far are to the best interest of Akwa Ibom and the people of the state. If Uyo Senatorial District, through Obong Victor Attah, served the people of the state as Governor for eight years, and Chief Godswill Akpabio from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District also served the people of the state as Governor for eight years. My position, which I believe is same with the generality of Akwa Ibom people, is that Governor Udom Emmanuel deserves to be accorded same opportunity as his predecessors. It is fair and just for Governor Emmanuel, from Eket Senatorial District, to continue till 2023.

Some federal appointees from the state have questioned the financial transparency of the state government particularly on issues of the state’s debt profile and government expenditure. Would you say their sentiments are justified?

Their sentiments are very wrong. The allegation of Akwa Ibom State debt being above N155.4 billion, the third highest in the country, have been severally speculated. It started from the Debt Management Office. Questioning the financial transparency of the Udom Emmanuel’s government on this ground does not add up. This is so because his achievements are seen everywhere, his good works speak for him and they are everywhere for all to see. The hard facts and concrete evidences of what he has achieved in so short a time are there for all to see.

 

 

Critics of the Governor have accused him of lopsidedness and nepotism as regards his alleged concentration of industries in ONNA. Do you think they are justified?

I completely disagree with you. I am a businessman and I do know the procedure of setting up an industry. Proximity to raw material is one of the considerations and this informs the reason why some of our industries are sited in ONNA. This does not in any way justify nepotism or lopsidedness.

 

What is your take on the Governor’s claim of political inclusion for every Akwa Ibom person irrespective of political party affiliation?

The issue of political inclusion is completely enshrined in the Dakkada philosophy of the Udom Emmanuel’s administration. If you take time to actually read and interpret the Dakkada Creed, you will understand what I am talking about. The tenet of the Dakkada Creed is not supposed to bring about ethnic or tribal division or gender bias, but to bring us together irrespective of our dialectical leaning of Annang, Oro or Ibibio or party affiliation. As a matter of fact, the true essence of the Dakkada Creed is to actually shape our behavior and ways of doing things as a typical Akwa Ibom person, known for sincerity, humility, steadfastness, high sense of morals and all that. It is quite unfortunate that some of our people are still doing the same thing the creed prohibits like fighting one another and pull-down syndrome. So, it is not a matter of claiming political inclusion. Governor Udom Emmanuel believes in political inclusion. He is living it and the evidences abound in every nooks and crannies of Akwa Ibom State.

 

2019 is around the corner and zoning of political offices at all levels will be an issue. Do you think zoning will bring about the needed political harmony and results expected by Akwa Ibom people?

Yes I do. Zoning, if strictly adhered to, will certainly bring about the needed political harmony and the expected result. And that result is going to be the landslide by PDP in 2019. Let me reemphasize here again, Akwa Ibom is totally PDP and even a child on the street knows this. Ask any child for the house of the party Chairman, he is likely to take you to the house of the PDP Ward, Chapter or State Chairman. Even those in the opposition APC were once in the PDP. Some of them are returning back to where they started from. In the 2019 elections, nothing will change. Akwa Ibom will remain PDP and Governor Udom Emmanuel will remain Governor. I am very optimistic of this. Moreso, Governor Udom Emmanuel is a performer par excellence. He has managed the state’s meager resources so well and our economy is one of the few in the country that is booming in a recession. Salaries are paid and on time. Roads and other infrastructural development are going on in all parts of the state.

Today, it is very clear that Akwa Ibom has become Nigeria’s next industrial hub while our people have been driven into heights of enterprise through the government enterprise development agenda. I am saying this because I am a businessman and this is real. Governor Udom Emmanuel has also made great inroads into the Agricultural sector and soon Akwa Ibom State will be a net exporter of Agricultural produce to other countries. For me, I will continue to stick with Governor Udom Emmanuel in 2019 and beyond. I believe that the core interest of the people of my Federal Constituency, which is development, will be best served by returning Governor Udom Emmanuel for a second term in 2019.

 

Zoning has been a cardinal message of the Governor.    What do you think should play out regarding the Federal Constituency seat in Eket where you come from?

Zoning has not only been the cardinal message of Governor Udom Emmanuel, he is a product of zoning. The party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), believes in zoning and the party is preaching zoning in all its activities. Zoning encourages development and progress. Zoning means equity, justice and fairness. My federal constituency, Eket Federal Constituency is made up of Eket, Esit Eket, ONNA and Ibeno Local Government Areas and zoning for the seat has been sacrosanct from inception. Eket Local Government had it for eight years, Esit Eket did same and currently, the seat is being occupied by ONNA. Equity, justice and fairness, which formed the bedrock of zoning, demand that ONNA occupy the seat for eight years after which it will move to Ibeno Local Government Area. It is as simple as that and I do not think it will be distorted.

Again, let me narrow it down to the Eket State Constituency seat. Zoning in Eket is sacrosanct. Eket is politically divided into three zones of Central, Urban and Okon. Eket Central occupied the State Constituency seat for eight years. Eket Urban is currently running their second term. By 2019, the seat will go to Okon zone; this way there will be peace in the polity of Eket Local Government Area. As a major stakeholder in Eket politics, I will continue to support and encourage zoning in Eket vis-à-vis Akwa Ibom State.

 

The opposition APC in the state has threatened to seize power from the PDP in 2019. Do you think this is possible?

It is very laughable. Elections are not done on the social media but by men. Where are the men? They are in the PDP. Akwa Ibom has 31 Local Government Areas with 31 elected Local Government Council Chairmen. Each of these Local Government Councils have elected Councillors, all of them are PDP members. Each of these Local Government Councils has Supervisors and they are all PDP members, same with the entire 26 State Constituencies, 10 Federal Constituencies and three Senatorial Districts. All these people command political activities in their respective localities. They are all members of the PDP. So, in reality there is no presence of APC in Akwa Ibom. All the people are in the PDP. The phrase, Akwa Ibom is PDP and PDP is Akwa Ibom” is real. The threat by the APC to seize power from the PDP in 2019 is a very big mirage.

 

What is your assessment of the performance of the NDDC in the state?

Akwa Ibom is lucky to have one of its sons on the saddle of NDDC leadership and as such, the state should have the best from the agency. Though there is no law that mandates NDDC to liaise with any state government, I feel there should be total synergy between the NDDC and the State Government for the progress and development of the state. This will also guide the agency and the State Government against duplication of projects. I know there were a few streets in Uyo and other local government areas of the state that were not assessable, but today they are assessable. The present NDDC leadership has performed to its level