•Says ranking senator will bring more goodies to A’Ibom Southern district
By Edet Okpo
As the second term support structure of Senator Ekong Sampson, Senator representing Akwa Ibom South (Eket) Senatorial District in the National Assembly keeps expanding daily, another prominent political heavyweight from Oro Nation and former Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Peter Linus Umoh, says he is fully in alignment with the majority of stakeholders from the senatorial district to endorse and support Senator Ekong Sampson for a second term in office.
Addressing journalists in his Uyo residence at the Weekend, Barr.
Umoh who is also a former Member representing Oron/ Okobo/Mbo/Udung Uko/Urueoffong & Oruko Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives Abuja, stated thus: “As a former Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and former Member of the House of Representatives, I think I am better placed with legislative experience to tell the People of Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District what they need to know about National Assembly politics. In the National Assembly system, ranking translates into bargaining power, committee influence, and accelerated project facilitation.
“Continuity, therefore, becomes a strategic advantage for the Senator representing Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District because it will benefit the Constituents the mọre. The era of Single tenure or replacement option in our Senatorial District had since been buried”.
Giving reasons for his endorsement of Senator Sampson for a Second term in the Senate, the former Member of the National Assembly further maintained that Akwa Ibom South cannot afford to interrupt the momentum of a sound legislator like Senator Ekong Sampson who has combined policy depth, intellectual and political sagacity, legislative experience, oversight mastery with constituency responsiveness.
On the achievements of Senator Ekong Sampson in less than 3 years, Barr Umoh hinted that Senator Ekong Sampson has prioritised education, infrastructure, health, human empowerment and capacity building as key drivers of his constituency projects.
Hẹ assured that other stakeholders from Oro Nation are ready to rally round Senator Ekong Sampson and Support his second term project.
The former Speaker also commended Governor Umo Eno for his bottom-to-top approach in governance and for his signature projects in Oro Nation, including the ongoing construction of Oron Marine Terminal, shore protection, jetty and recreational centre, Nsit Atai- Okobo Road dualisation, Okobo-Uya Oron road dualisation, among others.
Hẹ added that come 2027, the People of Oron Federal Constituency will vote enmasse the Governor and all Candidates of the All Progressive Congress into their respective offices.
Recall that recently, Senator Ekong Sampson has disbursed 100 Million Naira for education grant to 500 indigent students and 25 teachers, purchased and distributed a good number of exotic cars, tricycles to his constituents, purchased and presented a Hiace Bus to traditional rulers, secured employment slots in federal MDAs and in corporate and private establishments for his constituents, disbursement of ₦500 million to boost Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises; 5 Million Naira Education Support to Students of Okobo Local Government through Okobo Development Union, training of youth and journalists on various skills and vocations, spread of various life-projects such as medical facilities, road construction, classroom/Halls/CBT blocks, solar-powered water projects/solar street lighting, erosion control and electrification projects across the 12 local government areas of the Senatorial District.
In the aspect of lawmaking, Senator Ekong Sampson has sponsored and co-sponsored critical bills such as:
The Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi Bill (awaiting third reading and passage); Federal Medical Centres Amendment Bill (passed into law);
the Federal Medical Centre, Eket Bill (recently passed into law); the South-South Development Commission Bill (co-sponsored and passed into law);
strong advocacy for speedy take-off of the Federal University of Maritime Studies, Oron.
