Ekpenyong Asuquo

Asuquo Ekpenyong (born 25 August 1985) is a Nigerian politician and financial analyst. He is the former Cross River State Commissioner for Finance and is currently the senator representing Cross River South senatorial district and the youngest Senator in the Nigerian Senate.

Asuquo Ekpenyong Jr was born into the family of Chief Dr. Asuquo Ekpenyong and Dr. Mrs. Iquo Ekpenyong. He did his secondary education at King's College Lagos and further obtained a degree in Economics from the University of Reading in 2007 and a master's degree in International Banking and Financial Services in 2008.

Asuquo Ekpenyong worked as a financial analyst in Lagos and then moved to Cross River where he worked for two years as a lecturer in the Banking and Finance Department of the University of Calabar.

He established Iquasu Ventures Limited, a haulage and logistics company, in 2010 and later took over as Managing Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) licensed Chamley Bureau de Change Limited.

Asuquo was later appointed Executive Director for Finance at Pearland Energy, an indigenous Oil and Gas company, and a member of the board of directors at Ekondo Microfinance Bank Limited.

In December 2015, Asuquo was appointed Cross River State Commissioner for Finance by Governor Benedict Ayade at the age of 29, making him the youngest commissioner in Nigeria. He is the longest serving commissioner for Finance in Cross River State.

In 2018, Asuquo was appointed Commissioner for Transport and Marine Services following the resignation of Mr. Savior Nyong to contest the 2019 elections.

Asuquo resigned as Commissioner for Finance and joined the race for governorship of Cross River State in the 2023 Cross River State gubernatorial election and was a leading aspirant until the emergence of Senator Bassey Otu as the consensus candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.

In May 2022, Asuquo Ekpenyong emerged winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primaries with 347 votes out of 351 accredited voters. He subsequently went on to win the Federal Senatorial seat representing Cross River South Senatorial District in the 10th Nigerian Senate in February 2023.

He was named the chairman, Senate committee on NDDC of the 10th senate on 8 August 2023.

Asuquo Ekpenyong married Netanela Duke Ekpenyong, the second daughter of ex-governor Donald Duke, in 2018, and they have two children together.

Party Positions

Policy positions from the All Progressives Congress (APC) party manifesto.

Security & Defense

Enhances compensation, medical care, housing support, scholarships, stipends, and health insurance for military personnel injured in duty and their families.

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Governance & Reform

Commits to amending Nigeria’s governance architecture through constitutional review and collaboration with the National Assembly and State Governments to grant States greater autonomy over critical matters like crime prevention, prisons, stamp duties, and taxation.

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Economy & Trade

Reforms the Federal Budgetary Methodology to move away from oil revenue dependence and base spending on projected growth, establishing an inflationary ceiling to optimize fiscal policy without causing excessive inflation.

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Infrastructure

Launches a National Infrastructure Campaign to modernize national infrastructure by hiring millions of unemployed Nigerians through the fiscal flexibility gained from reforming budgetary methodology.

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Agriculture

Will encourage local farmers to form farm cooperatives, enabling them to pool resources for modern farming equipment, fertiliser, and access priority government agricultural assistance programs (extension services), with tax breaks and credits.

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Environment & Climate

Will **reduce Nigeria’s gas flaring** by removing it from the top 10 countries with highest flares, aiming to maximize sector benefits while eliminating environmental harm.

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Anti-corruption

Curb reliance on imported goods via luxury taxes, higher tariffs, and processing fees while incentivizing local manufacturing with tax credits/rebates.

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Enterprise grant support

Provides tax credits, holidays, and reduced interest rate loans for businesses that hire a specified percentage of youth in their workforce and offer on-the-job training.

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Energy

Will increase Nigeria’s domestic crude oil production to **2.6 million barrels per day by 2027** and **4 million barrels per day by 2030**, while implementing a Special Enforcement and Monitoring Unit to deter theft, vandalism, and pipeline breaches using drones and aerial surveillance.

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Education

Introduces a new management system for federally funded primary and secondary schools via Boards of Education, reserving community representation in decision-making.

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Healthcare

Will strengthen primary healthcare infrastructure with incentive schemes, counterpart funding programs, and grassroots preventative care (vaccinations, cancer screening, blood pressure monitoring) in collaboration with state/local governments.

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Technology & Digital

Establishment of an advisory committee to review and reform regulatory frameworks for blockchain technology and virtual asset services.

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Reliefs and scholarships

Provides **conditional income support** to very poor households, tied to human capital development goals like high-school attendance, healthcare, and nutrition.

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Follow the 2027 race

Who declares, who drops out, who switches party: sourced, not speculation.

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