The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has charged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with repeatedly using the proposed Ibom Deep Sea Port in Akwa Ibom State as a campaign gimmick, accusing the party of deceiving Nigerians by approving the same project without any construction starting. The criticism intensified after President Bola Tinubu reiterated his commitment to the port during a visit to Akwa Ibom on Friday, 6 November 2024.
According to the NDC’s statement, the Federal Executive Council first approved the initial phase of the $4.6 billion deep‑sea port on 16 December 2020 under former President Muhammadu Buhari. The approval named the French logistics group Bolloré and China’s Power China as the preferred bidders and was expected to trigger the start of construction.
The party noted that Tinubu had already pledged to build the port during the APC’s presidential campaign rally at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on 30 January 2023. At that event he told supporters, “We will do mechanised farming. We will export food from Akwa Ibom. We will build your seaport.” The NDC says the president’s recent promise repeats that same pledge more than three years later.
“How many times will the APC approve the Ibom Deep Sea Port?” the NDC asked, describing the repeated assurances as “a brazen display of ignorance of statecraft and the elevation of grand deceit as a campaign strategy.”
The NDC further linked the port saga to the broader failure to provide uninterrupted electricity nationwide, arguing that Nigerians are still waiting for reliable power while Akwa Ibom residents wait endlessly for a deep‑sea port that has become “a campaign tool of deceit.”
In its concluding remarks, the NDC urged voters to reject the APC in the 2027 general election, calling for a change in political leadership to make “a new Nigeria possible.”
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
