The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC  candidate for Akpabuyo, Bakassi and Calabar South Federal Constituency, Ededem Hogan, has vowed to rely on a “people structure” to unseat the incumbent in 2027, declaring the NDC as the party to beat in the ABC race.

Hogan, who  stated this while speaking with journalists in Calabar Monday, said victory in ABC is decided at the grassroots and not by traditional party machinery.

“The political clout I have is the people. And I’m counting on the people,” Hogan said. “My presidential candidate, His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi, has the people behind him. You don’t need any more structures than the people from the grassroots.”

The candidate said siting the campaign office in Calabar South was deliberate, noting that the federal constituency is usually decided in the state capital due to its voting strength.

“It’s strategic that we place our campaign office in Calabar, which is the battleground for this federal constituency,” he said. “This speaks to our preparedness, our readiness to serve our people.”

Hogan also unveiled his manifesto on day one of campaigns, in line with the INEC timetable which commenced August 19 — a move he said voters have not seen in over 20 years.

“People have said that for over 20 years, they’ve not seen a candidate that has come forward and unveiled the manifesto on the very first day of flagging of campaigns,” he said.

Under the campaign theme ‘Ready To Serve’, Hogan promised representation “that works for everyone, not just for a selected few.”

Key priorities listed include *youth unemployment, perennial flooding in Calabar South, gully erosion, and needs-based empowerment*.

“It is no longer the time of one-size-fits-all empowerment, where bags of rice and minibus answer to every need,” he said. “We will sit down with our people and determine what they need the most and address it right to the roots.”

He pledged to work with NDDC, South-South Development Commission and other federal and state agencies through legislative advocacy to tackle environmental issues.

Hogan dismissed claims that the incumbent enjoys massive support, saying the yearnings of constituents show otherwise.

“I would first start with debunking the fact that the incumbent has massive support. The yearnings of our people has spoken to the fact that we have not fully or not been well represented,” he said.

He said lessons from the 2023 elections have been reviewed and “modalities put on ground to address this holistically.”

“My message is that hope is coming. We will for once have a representative that is amongst them, that came out from within them and is being put forward by them,” Hogan added.

With Calabar South holding the largest voting bloc in the ABC Federal Constituency, political stakeholders say the NDC’s early start and grassroots-focused campaign has positioned it as a major force to watch ahead of 2027.