PVC Sensitisation: Thousands of women in Oruk Anam, Ukanafun endorse Tinubu, Akpabio, Eno for re-election
Thousands of women from the Oruk Anam and Ukanafun local government areas of Akwa Ibom State, on Monday, expressed their strong support for President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Governor Umo Eno ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The endorsement was made through a unanimous voice vote during the Women Sensitization Tour on Civic Responsibilities, organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare at the council halls of the two local government areas.
Addressing the gatherings, the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, urged women to mobilize and actively participate in the ongoing Permanent Voter Card (PVC) and All Progressives Congress (APC) registration exercises.
Eyakenyi encouraged women who are 18 years old and older, as well as those with lost or damaged PVCs, to take advantage of the opportunities for registration, replacement, and revalidation. She emphasized that the PVC is the most important tool for democratic participation and highlighted the e-registration option as a convenient and stress-free alternative.
According to the Deputy Governor, the sensitisation exercise was aimed at ensuring that women are not excluded from decisions that shape governance, noting that their collective votes would be deployed in support of leaders who have delivered tangible dividends of democracy.
She cited the execution of 11 projects in Ukanafun by Governor Umo Eno’s administration in less than three years, including three strategic road projects, compassionate homes providing decent accommodation for vulnerable women, and healthcare facilities, and called for sustained support for the Governor.
Speaking separately at the event, the Chairman of Oruk Anam Local Government Area, Rt. Hon. Sunday Festus, and his Ukanafun counterpart, Hon. Uyo Ukpanah, declared their areas’ readiness to deliver overwhelming support for the APC in 2027.
They commended Governor Umo Eno for the visible development projects in their areas and reaffirmed their commitment to mobilising women for PVC registration.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Hon. Inibehe Silas, emphasised that the voter’s card remains the strongest tool for women to determine their leadership choices.
In her remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor, Bureau of Cooperatives and Rural Development, Mrs. Alice Ekpenyong, urged women to organize and strengthen cooperative societies to enable them benefit from the state government’s empowerment and economic support programmes.
In Oruk Anam, the stakeholders who spoke at the event included Hon. Sampson Idiong, the member representing the area in the state house of assembly; Sir Udo Kierian Akpan, a former three-term lawmaker and International Coordinator of the ARISE with Renewed Hope Initiative; and Mrs. Idongesit Etiebet, a former education commissioner, among others.
Other speakers, such as the APC State Woman Leader, Obongawaan Obonodo Uko, and the wife of the APC State Chairman, Mrs. Ini Luisa Stephen Ntukekpo, unanimously applauded the sensitization drive and urged women to fully utilise the ongoing PVC registration exercise.
Dignitaries at the event included the wife of the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Inemesit Uwah; the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Aniekan Umanah; the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Princess Eno Ibanga; the former Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Glory Edet, and other women leaders and stakeholders.
Earlier in the day, women of Oruk Anam and Ukanafun were treated to a medical sensitisation and outreach programme organised by the Ministry of Health, during which health talks were delivered and basic medical services provided.
The sensitisation tour forms part of the Akwa Ibom State Government’s broader strategy to deepen civic responsibility, promote inclusive governance, and ensure that women remain central to the socio-political and economic development of the state.
