…unveils 25-Man ‘Démmé’ Campaign Team
By Ekanem Iniko
UYO — With the 2027 general elections drawing closer, politics in Akwa Ibom’s most contested federal seat is already gathering steam. On Tuesday, Labour Party House of Representatives hopeful for Uyo/Ibesikpo Asutan/Nsit Atai/Uruan Federal Constituency, Mr. Ikakke Bassey, made his most concrete move yet by inaugurating a 25-man Central Campaign Team in Uyo.
The event, held at the State Headquarters of the Labour Party, #40, Akwa Efak, off Udoudoma Avenue, drew party faithful, civil society actors, students, and members of the public. It also marked the formal unveiling of what Bassey described as a deliberate “coalition of inclusion” designed to challenge the status quo with a view to redefining how representation works in the constituency.
The platform has been christened the ‘Démmé Political Movement 4 Ikakke Bassey’. According to the candidate, the name is not accidental. The word ‘Démmé’ as Mr. Ikakke noted, means “wake up” in Ibibio, a charge he said must reflect in the commitment, strategy and grassroots mobilization of the campaign council.
Speaking to the gathering, the National Assembly hopeful explained that the makeup of the team was a conscious break from tradition. In past cycles, campaign structures in the area have typically been limited to party loyalists and indigenes from the four local government areas. Bassey said his approach would be different.
“When you look at this team, you will realize that it’s a Coalition of people from different political parties, ethnic groups, states and local government areas outside Uyo federal constituency. This is intentional and novel,” he declared.
He went further to frame it as a historic first for the zone, and a model he intends to replicate.
“This is the first time in the history of our federal constituency that a National Assembly candidate who is vying to represent just four LGAs of Uyo, Ibesikpo Asutan, Nsit Atai and Uruan, would consider bringing in people from other states and Constituencies into his campaign team. This is the first time. This is how it ought to be. And we’re going to replicate this across board. If you see our opponents trying expand it this time to reach out to you, just know that they are copying us. They are not sincere. They just want to deceive you so that they would dump you after using you as usual.”
Uyo Federal Constituency covers the state capital – Uyo, and the neighboring LGAs of Ibesikpo Asutan, Nsit Atai and Uruan. It is widely regarded as one of Akwa Ibom’s most politically competitive seats. Beyond the dominant Ibibio population, the area is home to Annang, Oron, Obolo communities, as well as large non-indigenous populations of Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa and others who live and do business in Uyo metropolis.
Bassey anchored his decision to open the campaign to outsiders on the way federal resources are distributed. He argued that residency, not origin or party affiliation, should determine who benefits from constituency projects.
“This is deliberate…”, Ikakke emphasized, continuing “…because you know what: as long as you reside within Uyo federal constituency, you are supposed to be a partaker of whatever is allocated to the constituency. Whether you are Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Annang, Oron, Obolo, etc, or a member of any other political parties, or religion, you are captured amongst the demographic data with which resources and constituency funds are allocated to this constituency”.
That, he said, has not been the reality on ground. The Labour Party candidate accused past and present representatives of narrowing access to benefits.
“Unfortunately, our representatives have been cheating you by allocating all the huge resources just for themselves and children alone. So, I am coming out to change the status quo. Everyone must benefit from my legislative engagements and oversights, including empowerment programmes, jobs, skills, projects and so forth.”
Positioning himself as an alternative voice ahead of 2027, Bassey expressed optimism that the coalition strategy would pay off at the polls.
“I can assure you, we’re going to win and together we shall, for the first time, deliver to the people a purposeful and people-centric representation,” Ikakke assured the crowd, drawing applause from supporters.
Some of those present said the ‘Démmé’ model could shift how campaigns are run in Akwa Ibom, where elections are often fought along party, clan and ethnic lines. By recruiting members from outside the constituency and across party lines, Bassey appears to be betting on a wider base of goodwill and volunteer energy. Observers noted that the approach echoes the Labour Party’s surprise surge in the 2023 elections, which was powered by youth and cross-demographic support.
The 25-man Central Campaign Team will coordinate key departments including mobilization, media, youth engagement, women outreach and policy articulation. Members drawn from professional bodies, civil society, student groups and the informal sector were all present at the inauguration.
In his acceptance remarks, the Director-General of the Démmé Political Movement 4 Ikakke Bassey, Mr. Anthony Carl Ekong, described the appointment as both an honor and a duty.
“I thank our Principal, Ikakke Bassey, for this trust. We will hit the ground running immediately,” Ekong said.
He continued: “To my colleagues on this team, the task ahead is clear. We must gear up for victory. We must take the message of purposeful leadership to every street, village and market in Uyo, Ibesikpo Asutan, Nsit Atai and Uruan. The people are waiting for change, and we will deliver it.”
Ekong added that the campaign will prioritize town hall engagements, data-driven voter outreach, and a manifesto focused on job creation, skills acquisition, education support, healthcare access and oversight of federal projects in the constituency.
The early inauguration signals that aspirants are already consolidating ahead of 2027. With the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, promising that it’s set to conduct a free and fair elections next year, parties are quietly building momentum. Labour Party stakeholders in Akwa Ibom say they are targeting more legislative seats to build on the party’s growing national profile.
Dignitaries at the event included the State Chairman of the Labour Party, Mrs Freena Akpanusong; Labour Party’s State Political Leader, Obong Uduakobong Udoh, Ph.D; State Secretary, Elder Unwana Isaiah; State Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ime Silas; State Woman Leader, Comrade Nkoyo Walter; State Youth Leader, Pastor Uwem Udoh; and other leaders including Obong Ita George and Mr. Solomon Ekong.
As the ‘Démmé’ movement begins work, Bassey’s core message remained unchanged: representation must reach everyone.
“We are waking up a sleeping constituency,” he said. “And as we wake up, we work.”
The campaign team is expected to roll out its full structure including LGA, Ward and Unit Coordinators in the coming weeks
