The immediate past Commissioner for Economic Development and Ibom Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom State, Akan Okon is set to officially declare his intention to run for the office of the governor in 2023.
According to a press release by Willie Etim, the spokesperson for Akan Okon’s campaign organisation, the event, which is billed to hold, Thursday, March 21, 2022, will be a Thanksgiving and formal declaration for the governorship of the state.
“Mr. Akan Okon will use the occasion to officially unveil his blueprint for the development of the State, his strategic plans for creation of value added leadership and shared prosperity for Akwa Ibom people,” Etim stated in the release.
Mr Okon, who resigned from the State Executive Council on March 14, served as Commissioner in different strategic Ministries within the last eight years.
From his first nomination for appointment into the State Executive Council, the then Governor Godswill Akpabio assigned Okon to the Ministry of Economic Development in 2013 where he served till April 2014, and was seconded to the Ministry of Finance in 2014 where he served till the end of the administration in 2015.
Etim further disclosed that while serving as Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akan Okon brought professionalism and pragmatism to bear in his assigned duties which strengthened the state’s fiscal and economic development priorities.
Since the inception of the Udom Emmanuel’s administration in May 2015, Akan Okon was a key factor in the administration’s drive to transform Akwa Ibom into an economic hub.
Between 2015 and March 2022, Okon served in the following Ministries – Finance; Housing and Special Duties; Special Duties and Avaition Development; Economic Development and Deep Seaport.
“As Economic Development Commissioner, he was able to secure approval of Executive Council for a 30 years development plan for Akwa Ibom and for the first time in the history of our dear State, prepared a Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) which was approved by the State Executive Council and State House of Assembly,” Etim added.
In his resignation letter, Mr Okon stated that that he was resigning to contest for the 2023 governorship; a position he reaffirmed during an interview on Arise Television few days after.
“The reason I resigned was to enable me contest the 2023 governorship election in Akwa Ibom State,” he said.
“Throughout his years as a member of the State Executive Council, Akan Okon was known for commitment and service delivery. He was intentional about successfully completing every task he was assigned to him on behalf of the State. By implication, this means that the developmental strides of the current administration has Akon Okon’s imprints.”
