Obong Nsima Ekere has emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State ahead of the 2019 general elections, following a decisive victory at the party’s governorship primary.
Ekere recorded a landslide victory at the exercise, polling 160,458 votes to defeat his closest challengers, including Mr Dan Abia, who scored 4,189 votes, Mr Udoedege with 2,015 votes and Dr Efretuei, who secured 1,234 votes.
Observers at the primary described the exercise as free and fair, paving the way for Ekere, popularly known as “ONE”, to emerge as the APC standard-bearer for the 2019 governorship contest.
His emergence is already generating reactions across Akwa Ibom, with supporters taking to social media and public spaces to celebrate the development. The hashtag #NsimaIsHereAlready has also gained attention as supporters rally around his candidacy.
Ekere is expected to challenge the incumbent governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Udom Emmanuel, in the 2019 governorship election.
Born on May 29, 1965, in Ikot Oboroenyin, Edemaya Clan, Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Ekere began his secondary education at Regina Coeli College, Essene, Ikot Abasi, before completing it at Mary Knoll College, Ogoja, in present-day Cross River State.
He attended The Polytechnic, Calabar, between 1981 and 1982 before proceeding to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Estate Management in 1986.
Ekere is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) and a registered member of the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON).
He is also listed as a Senior Certified Valuer of the International Real Estate Institute in Minnesota, United States, as well as an Associate Member of the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation in London.
With the APC primary now concluded, attention turns to the wider 2019 governorship contest as Ekere prepares to lead the opposition party into the electoral battle against the ruling PDP in Akwa Ibom State.
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