The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is intensifying efforts to rebuild its grassroots structure in Akwa Ibom ahead of the 2027 elections, with the party’s candidate for Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District, Prince Etim Isong, mobilising its women’s wing for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

The mobilisation comes against the backdrop of the political upheaval that followed Governor Umo Eno’s defection from the PDP, the platform on which he was elected governor, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in June 2025. The move was followed by the defection of several elected officials and political actors, leaving the PDP as an opposition party in the state for the first time in decades.

While the Akwa Ibom PDP initially insisted that Eno’s departure had not weakened its structure, describing the party as “100 percent intact,” contemporary reports also documented divisions within its ranks and the movement of political office holders to the APC. The resulting disruption has since made grassroots organisation and voter mobilisation central to the party’s preparations for 2027.

It was against this background that Isong, during a sensitisation meeting with PDP E-Women in Eket, called on the women to mobilise eligible voters across the senatorial district for the CVR and ensure that existing voters retain valid Permanent Voter Cards.

Represented by the PDP Chapter Chairman in Okobo Local Government Area, Mr Eskor Nduonyi, alongside other PDP stakeholders from Oro Nation, Isong specifically identified newly eligible voters, persons who had lost their voter cards and those who had relocated and needed to transfer their registration to new polling units as groups requiring immediate mobilisation.

Nduonyi urged the women to take the campaign beyond their immediate circles, stressing that voter registration was necessary for citizens seeking to participate in the 2027 electoral process.

The women, represented by members from Ward 4 Central, Ward 3 and Ward 2, pledged to expand the mobilisation across their respective areas and expressed support for Isong’s senatorial bid.

They, however, requested additional logistics, including buses and other mobilisation materials, to enable them reach more communities, while also asking Isong to convene a broader meeting of women from across the constituency ahead of the election campaign.

The meeting signals an effort by the PDP senatorial campaign to reconnect with its grassroots base in Akwa Ibom South at a time when the party is seeking to regain political ground following the governor’s defection and the subsequent realignment of political structures in the state.