Gov. Udom Rules out local polls

Akwa Ibom state governor, Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, at the weekend, declared that his administration is not prepared to conduct local government elections for now.

All the 31 local government councils in the state are run by caretaker committee structures appointed by the governor.

But speaking at a press briefing to mark his administration’s two years in office, the governor said he was not in a hurry to put in place a democratically elected local government structures for the time being.

Udom who was answering reporters’ questions at the briefing held at the Banquet hall, government house said he was rather in a hurry to develop good roads, build hospitals and create jobs opportunities for thousands of unemployed youths in the state.

He said: “if I’m to use money, I use money in a most productive venture, a venture that will yield immediate returns for my people.

I need money to develop good road network to link villages, I need money to build hospitals for the sick, I need money to put into productive ventures to create jobs for the unemployed, I need money to provide food for the needy.

“These are areas I’m most concern about for now not to borrow money and pay at an interest rate of 26 percent to conduct election that people will turn around to criticize, and it not only in Akwa Ibom state that local government structures are not in place” he said

The governor stated that he has only one project to achieve in the state and that is “Project Akwa Ibom.”

He expressed appreciation to the media for the support his administration had enjoyed from the onset and enjoined it to partner the state government for the realization of the project Akwa Ibom.

However, the governor condemned sensationalism of most media organizations adding that that the state belongs to all of them, not him alone.

“I have always being saying this that Akwa Ibom state belongs to all of us. No matter what you do you don’t have any other state than Akwa Ibom state.

“So when you write think of how this will promote investors to the state, how it will create opportunities for the state etc”.