“You deserve physical infrastructure, empowerment, good legislation” – NASS hopeful
By Edikan Ataide
UYO — The race for the Uyo/Ibesikpo Asutan/Nsit Atai/Uruan Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives got a major lift on Sunday, August 16, 2026, as Labour Party contender, Mr. Ikakke Bassey secured back-to-back endorsements from grassroots structures in Ibesikpo Asutan ahead of the official flag-off of campaigns for 2027.
Bassey, an indigene of Afaha Udoeyop in Ibesikpo Asutan LGA, first held talks with the Village Youth Council in Afaha Udoeyop. The meeting, presided over by Council Chairman Mr. Mbuotidem, attracted a large crowd of youths and community stakeholders who came to assess his agenda for the federal constituency.
At the end of the consultative interface, the Youth Council passed a unanimous resolution to mobilize and deliver votes for Bassey across polling units. Their decision, they said, was driven by frustration over what they described as years of neglect under the current occupant of the seat, Rt. Honourable Mark Esset of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
“We have watched, we have waited, and we have seen nothing,” Chairman, Mr. Mbuotidem said while addressing the gathering.
“In our communities today, there is no electricity, there is no empowerment, and there is no legislation that has touched the lives of our people. The time has come for us to choose someone who understands our pain and is ready to work.”
He stressed that young people in Afaha Udoeyop are done with politics of rhetoric. What they want, he said, is a representative who will deliver concrete projects, jobs, and real opportunities for the demographic that forms the bulk of voters.
Bassey later met with the Labour Party executives in Ibesikpo Ward 5, led by Mr. Edidiong Hanson. Party leaders used the session to review his track record and blueprint for the constituency.
Speakers at the ward meeting described Bassey as a grassroots mobilizer whose humanitarian work across Ibesikpo Asutan and adjoining areas had already built him credibility. They pointed to his regular interface with market women, students, artisans, and persons with disabilities through empowerment drives, scholarships, and medical outreaches.
“Capacity is not something you claim, it is something you demonstrate,” one of the Ward leaders, Aniekan Jacob said.
According to him: “Ikakke has shown it. He has been with the people in good times and in hard times. What we need in Abuja is a voice that will speak for us and bring development back home, ward-by-ward.”
Presenting his plan to both the youth council and LP ward leaders, Bassey said his tenure would rest on three pillars: skills acquisition, job creation, and attracting federal projects to every ward in the Uyo Federal Constituency.
“Our people are tired of stagnation,” Bassey roared.
“For too long, representation has been about Abuja and overseas travels but not about Afaha Udoeyop, about Nung Udoe, or about Ibesikpo Asutan. Can they point to any tangible or intangible thing the current Representatives member, Rt. Honourable Mark Esset is doing to better your lives?
My plan is simple: equip our youths with skills that can earn them a living, connect our women and small business owners to markets and funding, and bring federal presence to our roads, health centers, and schools.”
He argued that persistent challenges such as poor power supply, youth unemployment, and limited access to federal opportunities require a lawmaker who is accessible and ready to lobby.
“We cannot continue like this,” he added. “You deserve electricity. You deserve empowerment. You deserve laws that protect your businesses and your future. I am ready to salvage our people from years of neglect, poor representation, and economic stagnation.”
The endorsements come at a time political activities are beginning to pick up across Akwa Ibom State ahead of 2027. The Uyo Federal Constituency, covering Uyo, Ibesikpo Asutan, Nsit Atai and Uruan LGAs, is already shaping up as a key battleground, with aspirants from various parties testing the waters.
Political pundits note that with the zoning arrangement favouring Ibesikpo Asutan in 2027, support from organized groups like Ibesikpo Ward 5 and the Afaha Udoeyop Youth Council, could give Bassey a solid grassroots base for voter mobilization. This is just as youth groups are increasingly influential at the polling unit level amid growing dissatisfaction with current representation.
Community members who attended the Sunday engagements expressed hope that Bassey’s candidacy would shift the conversation toward service delivery.
“We are not selling our votes again for rice and wrappers,” said a youth leader from Afaha Udoeyop. “Rather, we will be casting our votes for light, for jobs, for skills. Ikakke has shown us a plan, and we are ready to follow that plan.”
Bassey’s campaign team said consultations will continue across the four LGAs in the constituency in the weeks ahead. The early backing from Ibesikpo Ward 5 and the Afaha Udoeyop Youth Council signals a boost for his ambition and sets the stage for what is expected to be a keen contest for the Uyo Federal Constituency seat.
