It is often said that when God plans a scheme, He first designs an instrument for its implementation; when He imparts a vision, He prepares a man to run with it! For the “Golden Era” vision in Akwa Ibom State, God’s relay-man is obviously Rt. Hon. ( Elder) Aniekan Simon Akpan, the gentleman who has in the last three years justifiably become the face of the administration and leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Akwa Ibom.
A political colossus who nonetheless combines his clout with a humble mien, Elder Akpan comes across as a conservative power- broker; team-player and loyal party-man , his political exploits and activism spanning decades of exemplary public service. After a successful career in the civil service, Elder Akpan cut his political teeth as a Council Secretary and later moved to become a Chairman of Council; State Lawmaker, then Commissioner, before being inaugurated three years ago as Akwa Ibom State Chairman of PDP.
For those who are savvy about the traps and escape routes of modern politics, the re- inauguration of Rt. Hon. (Elder) Akpan as the 7th State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Akwa Ibom State, this weekend, provides an opportunity to ruminate on political diplomacy and other winning gambits that have come to define today’s politics in our State, all thanks to Elder Aniekan Akpan! Politics aside, Elder Akpan’s reelection for another term as PDP State Chairman is most fitting for a man whose past three years has not only been phenomenal, but characteristic of such inventiveness that changed the face of party politics and administration in the state. As a matter of fact, apart from keeping to his promise at his first inauguration to ensure that the PDP continues with its winning streak at all levels, he brought decorum into the political dynamics of the state.
On settling down for business for his first term, he had to deal with one conundrum, namely: how power was to be successfully transited from the then PDP State Government to another PDP administration under the prying eyes of a hostile APC government at the centre. His game-changer was obviously to deploy the age-old strategy of mass-action. He worked on the membership strength of the party, taking it to such high level that inevitably guaranteed victory at the polls. This he did through a remarkable PDP e-registration and membership revalidation. He then opened the doors of the party to old and new members in a move described as unprecedented in the history of party politics in the annals of our state. He went on to build, nurture and modernize the party structure from the Ward to the State levels and that way, tipped the scales against the opposition.
The natural consequence of all these was that every faction of the opposition, including the APC; YPP; NNPP; LP; etcetera, etcetera, all collapsed their structures into the almighty PDP, under the amiable watch of Rt. Hon. ( Elder) Akpan. The fruitage of this master stroke was mass defections of thousands of notable figures into the PDP.
With this new political epoch, tacitly gaining the approval and embrace of the majority of Akwa Ibom electorate, it was then possible to leverage its popularity for successful Party Congresses, Primaries, electioneering campaigns and ultimate landslide victory for the PDP at the 2023 general elections in the state. Two Senators, 10 House of Representatives Members, and 24 Members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly were elected under the PDP. And the icing on the cake of success was the emergence of Pastor Umo Bassey Eno as the 5th democratically elected Governor of Akwa Ibom State, then his epochal near-clerical inauguration 15 months ago.
After overseeing a truly magnificent transition of government, Elder Akpan has remained a bastion of hope for democracy in the State. He is the Governor’s right hand man, and it goes without saying that with a crop of loyal and vibrant party officers joining him at the Party EXCO, in addition to the dependable stakeholders across the state, including millions of supportive party members, Elder Akpan is clearly bracing up for a sustained and unbroken string of victories for the PDP in Akwa Ibom State going forward.
The Right Honourable Chairman, Sir – as you accept this onerous responsibility to continue to serve the PDP in the State, may God’s divine providence be sufficient onto you for yet another overwhelmingly successful tenure.
