Governor Chief Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria. He has blamed successive governments for the failure to develop programs that would curb violence in the Niger Delta.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
From Okon Bassey in Uyo, 02.28.2010
Nigeria ThisDay
Senate Committee on the review of the Nigeria Constitution and Electoral Reform met weekend in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital for the final collation and documentation of various reports on the review of the 1999 constitution.
The meeting, which took place at the Ibom Le-Meridien and Golf Resort was held behind closed doors as journalists were not allowed access to the venue.
Governor Godwin Akpabio, who received members of the committee during a courtesy call on him at Government House, Uyo, assured the Senate that the state governors would work with the State Houses of Assembly to ensure the return of the resolutions on the Electoral Reform and Constitutional amendment received from the Senate within one week.
“What the Senate is doing is to deepen democracy and of course we all are beneficiaries. There is no doubt the decisions of the Senate will stabilise the nation,” Akpabio told the Senators.
The governor, who lauded the Senators for choosing Akwa Ibom as the venue for the retreat assured that the natural ambience, the peace in the state and the hospitality disposition of the people would enable them to have fruitful deliberations.
He expressed the hope that the Nigerian constitution when amended would helped to correct the mistakes of the past administrations in the country so that more dividends of democracy can be provided for the people.
“With the new electoral reform in place it means if every vote should be counted in Nigeria, election results will no longer be predicted, it means people can be held accountable,” he added.
Continuing, Akpabio reasoned that the reform would also correct the mistakes where those he called misfits found their way into democracy saying: “In every situation, it should be what you have done for the people, it should be the totality of your being that should merit you to political office and not the question of carry go”.
The Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu had said they were in the Akwa Ibom State capital after the whole members of the Senate Committee on Constitutional amendment and Electoral Reform had voted Uyo as the most suitable destination for them to stay and deliberate on all the contributions received from the public hearing in Abuja and the six go–political zones of the country.
“We are here in continuation of our promise to the people of Nigeria to deliver to them an amendment to the constitution and to engineer a process that will give the country a reformed electoral process that they will be proud of”, he said.
Ekweremadu promised Nigerian that the committee would make their report ready within the next two weeks so that the 2011 elections would benefit from the exercise.
“We will do good job for Nigeria and at the end of the day, history will remember us for the role we are playing now to ensure that we deepen democracy,” he said.
He lauded the development strides recorded so far in Akwa Ibom by Akpabio describing the feat as a statement for democracy which he noted was not all about slogan but about delivering to the people.
“What you are doing in Akwa Ibom State we believe is a very strong statement for enduring democracy in Nigeria, for the short period we have stayed here, we are not disappointed. We want to commend you for the effort you are making”, he said..
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