By Ita Williams
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Akpabuyo, Bakassi and Calabar South Federal Constituency, Ededem Hogan, has declared that he will deploy a “people structure” to defeat the incumbent in the 2027 election.
Hogan made the declaration while addressing journalists in Calabar on Monday, saying the NDC was poised to emerge as the dominant political force in the ABC Federal Constituency.
He argued that grassroots voters, rather than the traditional political structures of established parties, would determine the outcome of the election. “The political clout I have is the people. And I’m counting on the people,” Hogan said.
He added: “My presidential candidate, His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi, has the people behind him. You don’t need any more structures than the people from the grassroots.”
Hogan said the decision to establish his campaign office in Calabar South was strategic because of the area’s large voting population. “It’s strategic that we place our campaign office in Calabar, which is the battleground for this federal constituency,” he said.
He maintained that the campaign office also demonstrated his readiness to represent the constituency. “This speaks to our preparedness, our readiness to serve our people,” he said.
The candidate also unveiled his manifesto on the first day of the campaign following the commencement of campaigns on August 19, in accordance with the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). “People have said that for over 20 years, they’ve not seen a candidate that has come forward and unveiled the manifesto on the very first day of flagging of campaigns,” he said.
Hogan’s campaign is anchored on the theme, “Ready To Serve”, with a promise of representation “that works for everyone, not just for a selected few.” He identified youth unemployment, flooding in Calabar South, gully erosion and empowerment as major challenges requiring urgent intervention.
“It is no longer the time of one-size-fits-all empowerment, where bags of rice and minibus answer to every need,” he said. “We will sit down with our people and determine what they need the most and address it right to the roots,” he added.
Hogan also promised to pursue collaboration with the Niger Delta Development Commission, South-South Development Commission and other federal and state agencies through legislative advocacy to tackle environmental challenges.
The NDC candidate rejected claims that the incumbent enjoys massive support in the constituency, saying the grievances of constituents indicated dissatisfaction with the existing representation.
“I would first start with debunking the fact that the incumbent has massive support. The yearnings of our people has spoken to the fact that we have not fully or not been well represented,” he said.
He said his campaign had reviewed the 2023 election and developed strategies to address identified shortcomings. Hogan said, “modalities put on ground to address this holistically.”
He urged constituents to embrace a new political direction, promising that his candidacy would produce a representative drawn from the people.
“My message is that hope is coming. We will for once have a representative that is amongst them, that came out from within them and is being put forward by them,” Hogan added.
