The International Coordinator of Arise with Renewed Hope Initiative, Udo Akpan, has commended President Bola Tinubu for his inclusive leadership, highlighting his support for Godswill Akpabio and Governor Umo Eno as a clear demonstration of commitment to national cohesion and purposeful governance.
In an exclusive interview with Voice of Nigeria in Abuja, the international coordinator of the political Support group affiliated with the All Progressives Congress, APC urged Nigerians to embrace good governance and sustain backing for the Tinubu administration.
Akpan said the group, formed by sons and daughters of Akwa Ibom State, is committed to propagating the ideals of good governance, describing President Tinubu as one “who in his three years in office has defined Nigeria to ensure that the growth is fast-tracked and the economy is brought back to life.”
He underscored the President’s role in national inclusion, stating: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has recognised Akwa Ibom. He has supported our brother to become number three man in Nigeria,” referring to the emergence of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Akpan stated that the President “has taken our governor Umo Eno in as somebody who he respects and continue to assure him that he is going to place Akwa Ibom in the map,” particularly in relation to key infrastructure such as the Ibom Deep Sea Port.
Development Projects
On ongoing development projects, he noted: “We have also seen that the coastal route is going on and then the work is in Akwa Ibom axis of it.”
Declaring the group’s political position, he said: “So we support president Tinubu because he has supported us, he recognises us, and he is playing the game in a manner that Akwa Ibom is on the table of sharing.”
He disclosed that the initiative has instituted a structure in Arise with Renewed Hope Initiative that is aimed at ensuring that the achievements of the current administration are planted, are propagated and is enduring.
Akpan further emphasised the need for collective responsibility, noting that sons and daughters of Akwa Ibom state must ‘remember home’ and contribute meaningfully to development.
Describing Abuja as strategic, he said, “this is where policies and programmes are enunciated,” adding that the group is mobilising to “ensure that the president gets the highest vote in Akwa Ibom this time around,” reinforcing Akwa Ibom’s voice at the centre.
Looking ahead to 2027, Akpan urged Nigerians to support the President.
“President Tinubu has shown Nigerians that he has the courage, he has the capacity, and he has the will to move Nigeria from where it was to where it should be, particularly in defining the economy of Nigeria. He said, subsidy is gone and it is gone forever,” he said.
Akpan concluded with a call for national unity and continuity.
“Let us give this man a chance. Let him finish his own. Let us not truncate his tenure. let’s support the president. Let’s support our governors who are doing well in their various states. Let us give them a chance to perform and do well,” he added.