By Clifford Ndujihe

TO give Senator Godswill Akpabio of All Progressives Congress, APC, a good fight in his Ikot Ekpene senatorial zone, Governor Udom Emmanuel and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have retained Mr. Moses Ekpo as the party’s deputy governorship candidate for the 2019 poll.

There was intense pressure on Emmanuel and the PDP to drop Mr. Ekpo,77, for a younger person ‘’but the governor did not yield to the pressure and elected to retain his loyal deputy and a winning team that will beat Akpabio in the Ikot-Ekpene axis,’’ a party chieftain told Vanguard.

Indeed, while announcing Ekpo as his running mate, the governor described the politician as an epitome of loyalty, and commitment and some one who had demonstrated ‘’resilience and capacity in the discharge of his duties.’’

Gov Akpabio

Asked why Mr. Ekpo was retained as Emmanuel’s running mate, the PDP chieftain said: ‘’He is from Abak Local Government Area in Ikot Ekpene senatorial district, Akpabio’s Senatorial district. Abak is a part of the Abak 5 community in Ikot Ekpene senatorial district. The community has been unhappy with Akpabio’s section of the senatorial district over years of marginalisation. His re-nomination will win the support of that section of the senatorial district, who already feel suffocated by Akpabio. Again, the man has a huge support base across the senatorial district. He is seen as a father and a stabiliser.’’

https://newlive.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/2019-apc-stalwart-makes-case-for-delta-north-governorship/

Born on December 22, 1941, Ekpo, MFR, for over four decades, held senior journalism and management positions in several Nigerian newspapers, local and foreign broadcasting organizations including: Daily Express, Daily Times, West African Pilot, The Morning Post, Eastern Nigeria Broadcasting Service, Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service, Voice of America, Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany), and British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC.

He has a diploma in Journalism from The London Polytechnic, U.K, a degree in journalism from University of Wisconsin, Madison, U.S.A, and a certificate from the World Intellectual Property Organization Academy (WIPO), Geneva Switzerland.

He was a publisher and general manager of Cross River State Newspaper Corporation, the publishers of the Nigerian Chronicle Group of Newspapers.

He founded the Pioneer Newspapers in Akwa Ibom State and served as Chief Information Officer in the Cross River State Government as well as the chief public relations officer to that Government.

Other offices he held include: Assistant Director of Information and Acting Federal Director of Information, Director, Nigerian Copyright Council, Director-General, Nigerian Copyright Commission, President of the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission, Abuja, a position he held until his election as deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State.