9th NASS: Sen. Oko Congratulates Sen. Lawan, Omo-Omo-Agege as SP, DSP

Oru Leonard

Senator representing Cross River North of Cross River State, Dr Rose Okoji Oko, has congratulated Senator Ahmed Lawan and Sen Ovie Omo-Agege for being elected Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively in the 9th Assembly.

Sen Oko stated this in a statement signed by her media department, where she expressed optimism and hope that the confidence reposed in Sen Lawan and Sen Omo-Agege by their colleagues to massively vote for them to manage the affairs of the senate for the next four years will be a source of inspiration, transparency, good governance and accountability including good working relationship with other organs and ties of government.

The female lawmaker, while thanking her constituents for their massive support assured that she would redouble her achievements in the House of Representatives between 2011-2015, as well as in her first term in the 8th Senate between 2015-2019, adding that she would continue to run an open door policy as her doors would remain open to all her constituents.

She said, “Congratulations to Senator Dr Ahmed Lawan, and Sen Ovie Omo-Agege as Senate President and Deputy Senate President of the 9th National Assembly. Please accept my congratulations on your victory at the senate presidency election. I send my best wishes for your continued strength and success in performing the duties of this exalted position, as well as for the unity and progress of the 9th senate.

“It is my strong hope that the trust reposed on you by your colleagues will be a source of inspiration to deliver the goals set as you work towards a better 9th Assembly, promoting transparency, good governance and accountability while ensuring a good working relationship with all the tiers of government.

“We are confident that your wealth of experience will be brought to bear as the Chairman of 9th National Assembly. Congratulations.”

 Meanwhile, Sen Oko who was overwhelmingly re-elected by the people in Cross River North senatorial district for second term during the last general election, was elated and overwhelmed by wide jubilation, celebration and drums rolled out from the five Local Government Areas that made up the senatorial district who converged on her Abuja residence, said she was short of words to see them in their large numbers to solidly stay behind her during the election, inauguration and to organise a grand reception in her honour.

She also appreciated their strong support and trust reposed in her to canvass for votes and massively voting for her, and commended leaders from various sections of the senatorial district for their doggedness and leadership qualities demonstrated.

She said: “I want to specially recognize all of you, who have come from far and near to celebrate this day with us as we are inaugurated into the 9th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So I specially welcome you here today.

“We would try all of us in the National Assembly, we would try, we may not always achieve everything but we would achieve something. We would continue our work in this direction.

“For the work that we did back in the constituency, the projects that we did because of the zonal interventions that we had, the ones we attracted because of the ministries and agencies we supervise, we would continue to do those again.”

She also assured the people of an open door policy to attend to all the people with different needs as she had done before as their senator representing them, “I want to reiterate once more, that whatever I did before, that with your assistance, with your support, I hope to achieve that even double. I want to say to you that I have an open door policy.

“I have always said. I am not difficult to reach. My gate has never been closed. For those who are looking for jobs, for employments, I have given countless letters. They will not always work but some have worked. And I want to say to you, do not be afraid to ask.

“I want to thank all of you again, that have found time to come because the information came very late, we were not sure that we could get people to come.

“I want to also use this occasion to specially thank you my constituents in Cross River North for the confidence that you have reposed in me two times now and the one that Ogoja/Yala reposed in me in 2011-2015. And you voted me into office in very difficult circumstances.

“You have done it again, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I want to pledge to you that I would do everything to justify the confidence that you have continued to repose in me.

“Let me also use this opportunity to thank the campaign council that put everything together for us to achieve the victory that we did as PDP in Cross River State and for myself as Rose Oko in Cross River North.

“I may not mention names individually, but I can see all of them that they are here. I cannot thank you enough, I cannot quantify the work that you have done but I am a politician and I know how much work you did.

“On that day, I could only be in one place, but all of you were in all the nooks and crannies of Cross River North and you ensured that PDP achieve victory for both the president and those of us who were in the National Assembly and two weeks later for the governor and those who are in the state assembly.” She concluded.