Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel has sworn in the 31 local government area chairmen elected last Saturday.

The chairmanship election produced all 31 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman andidates and also about 310 council ward heads

The election was described by the state electoral council and observers as credible and transparent

At the swearing in in Uyo Thursday, the governor challenged the news council heads to uphold the tenets of the state government in delivering good governance to the people and always put the people first

Governor Emmanuel also tasked the new.chairmen to also follow democratic processes in managing their councils which remains the grassroots of political leadership.

The brief ceremony which took place at the Banquet Hall of the Government House was witnessed by a mammoth crowd comprising members of the State Executive Council and the Legislature, family members, party supporters and interested members of the public.
After ministering the oaths of office and allegiance to the chairmen and their vices, Governor Emmanuel in a brief address congratulated them on their victory and stressed the need to reciprocate the trust the people had placed on them by rendering selfless service to the people of their respective council areas.
“If you provide selfless service you will be celebrated and you will continue to soar but if you sacrifice the people’s trust, your name will stand condemned in both the people’s court and in the court of public opinion”, the Governor admonished.
Governor Emmanuel warned the chairmen not to see their election as a platform for immediate gratification and conspicuous consumption to the detriment of the people; urging them to remain true to the foundational principle predicated on the unwavering commitment to rendering service to the people.
He equally warned the chairmen that governance is not about making excuses but delivering to them the dividends of democracy by embarking on policies and projects that positively impact their lives.
Again his words, “though Nigeria may be experiencing economic challenges, the business of the people must continue, our obligations to them must be met, our fidelity to their well-being must not be broken and the faith they have in us must be nourished and nurtured- in short, our adherence to the principles of the Social Contract remains an abiding article of faith”.
The Governor also used the opportunity to congratulate the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC) for the conduct of the council election which has been widely acclaimed to be transparent, free and fair. The Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC), Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) and the Independent Observers, all celebrating the peaceful and transparent conduct of the election.
The council election conducted last Saturday, December 2, was swept by the ruling party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party which cleared all the 31 Chairmanship and the 310 councillorship slots.

I want to also reiterate the central point of my message on that occasion; which was that “leadership is not about excuses or cop-outs; leadership is not about leaving the problems of today for tomorrow, leadership requires healthy doses of decisiveness and being proactive. Let this be your guiding principle.
Let me also state here that the office you have just been sworn into today, should not be seen as a platform for immediate gratification, or one where you would engage in conspicuous consumption to the detriment of the people who had sent you in the first place to represent them. Let it remain true to its foundational principle which is predicated on the unwavering commitment to rendering service to the people.