Serving Nigeria’s Downtrodden My Passion – Rt Hon Essien Ayi

BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – One of the longest-serving parliamentarians in Nigeria today, Rt Hon Essien Ayi, says his unrestrained passion to serve the society downtrodden at the grassroots level will never be compromised.

Ayi, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said his unwavering resolve remains to work committedly in uplifting the people and giving them better life within available resources.

First elected to the Green Chamber in 2003, Rt Hon Ayi has since then continuously represented the Federal constituency in the National Assembly to date

Speaking after the primary election where he won the PDP ticket at the just concluded House of Representative Federal Constituency for Akpabuyo, Bakassi, and Calabar South, Apostle Essien Ayi attributed his rare feat in the electoral process to the robust closeness and appreciation of his constituents

According to the ageless parliamentarian; “My constituents look up to me as their ‘personal person’ because I am always around in Calabar most weekends to handle and cater for things that affect them and their families, like attending burials, weddings, chieftaincy award ceremonies, child dedications, and empowerment among others, to the delight of the downtrodden.

“My constituents see me as a symbol of hope, their aspirations, and care. Moreover, due to my consistency and trust, a common bond with the people has been struck and this is not easy to break overnight just like that.”

The lawmaker however appealed to the electorate to come out en-masse during the main election in 2023 to actualize their dream of returning him to the National Assembly so that he can continue with the good works as well as being at their beck and call.

Of the 99 ad-hoc delegates accredited at the ratio of three per each Council Ward, Rt Hon Ayi polled 57 votes, followed by Mrs Emana Ambrose who polled 23 votes; Dominic Aqua Edem with 16 votes while Rev Ekpenyong Eyo could only secure three votes during the exercise. ..

Reacting to the primaries’ outcome, Mrs Emana Ambrose, who came a distant second, thanked the party for conducting a peaceful, free and fair election.

She however decried the terrible influence of money politics in the country’s electoral system, especially as it affected the results of the primary polls.

Mrs Ambrose was obviously referring to the fact that most of the delegates were caught on camera deploying their mobile phones to capture who they voted for in return for financial rewards