Mr. Ededem Hogan, NDC House of Representatives candidate for Akpabuyo, Bakassi/Calabar South Federal Constituency has pledged to end the politics of “Maggie cubes and cups of rice” and replace it with leadership driven by consultation and service.
The reps candidate made the remarks while answering questions from LEADERSHIP yesterday.
Hogan who spoke after exiting from a Consultative meeting with 10 ward chairmen of Akpabuyo local government council, stated that the era of sharing cubes of Maggie and cups of rice to secure votes in elections “is over.”
He told the party leaders that Akpabuyo will no longer afford to be sidelined in federal representation after being sidelined in the last 24 years by candidates from Çàlabar South that made up the federal constituency.
“For over 24 years, Akpabuyo in its real status as a local government has never produced a representative for this federal constituency,” he stated.
According to Hogan, after Hon. Essien Ayi completed his roughly 20-year tenure representing Calabar South, another indigene from the same constituency emerged and is also occupying the same seat.
The NDC candidate stressed that his emergence in the primaries was made possible by Akpabuyo and pledged to repay the trust with accountable representation.
“I want to pledge that I am the candidate that will listen to you. I am the candidate that will consult with you. I am the candidate that will remain accessible after election day,” Hogan said.
“I am the candidate that you will be sure speaks your voice at the national assembly. Our covenant with the people of Akpabuyo is a representation that works for everyone.”
Criticizing past practices where constituents only saw their representative once in four years, Hogan declared: “Gone are the days that you have a representative who only works for a small clique of people.
“Gone are the days that you have a representative that you will see once in every four years. We are tired of the politics of a few cups of rice, of cash handouts to a small clique, and of one-size-fits-all empowerment.”
He promised that development priorities such as “gully erosion, support to our farmers, empowerment of our fishermen, renovation or construction of primary schools, or provision of health centers” would be decided together with the people.
“We will sit together, put our minds together, discuss, consult, and agree on what we want,” he added.
Hogan called on ward chairmen to take the message of hope to every part of the community, mobilize voters ahead of the 2027 general election.
He solicited prayers, support, and votes, saying the time had come for Akpabuyo to be counted.
“Tell our people that our son is here to represent us. Let our people know that indeed, this is our time,” the NDC reps candidate maintained.