By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The former lawmaker representing Cross River Central senatorial district at the National Assembly, Senator Mathew Mbu, Jr., yesterday called on the Cross River State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to provide a level playing field for all aspirants seeking for the seat of Ikom/Boki federal constituency at the House of Representatives.
Mbu made the call while reacting to information making the rounds in the various media platforms that the party leadership has given a standing order asking all the ad-hoc delegates to meet in Ikom today to affirm Chief Victor Abang, also known as Mature, an aspirant in the contest, as the APC flagbearer in the 2023 election.
The former lawmaker, who is assumed as the leader of the Boki people, charged stakeholders of the party in the state not to compromise the electoral process, but to engage in fair play to avert crises in the constituency.
He said that if the yet to be conducted polls is to hold peaceful, the party needs to provide a level playing field rather than deploy undemocratic process to select the party flagbearer for the constituency.
Reacting to the purported directives given by the state governor, Ben Ayade, that Abang should be affirm as the consensus candidate in the contest, Mbu stated that as the political leader of Boki, all aspirants in the race are his children, and as such, he is bound to have a say in determining who emerges as the APC flagbearer in the constituency primaries.
In a statement addressed to the Cross River State governor, Prof. Ayade, and made available to CompassNG, in Calabar, yesterday, Mbu stated, “Your Excellency, please in the interest of peace and fair play, as far as Ikom/Boki federal constituency is concerned, let all aspirants meet again to decide who to represent them.
“Where they fail to produce one person amongst themselves, they can go to the field to test their popularity.
“I have been informed that a former lawmaker in the constituency wants Chief Abang to be the crowned aspirant with the claim that he is the leader of the constituency. This can’t be.
“Well, that’s his right and opinion, but as far as Boki is concerned, I am the political leader of my people, therefore the former lawmaker can’t decide for the Boki people.
“All aspirants are my people and this is why the contest must be free and fair and where they failed to produce one amongst themselves then they can have the contest in the field.
“We must think and do things that will enable us win the primary election. This is my position.”
Mbu stressed that if there was any advice that ought to deal with a matter that bothered on who to become the APC flagbearer in the yet to be conducted primaries in Boki nation, it should come from him and not from any lawmaker.
He urged the aspirants from Boki nation not to over heat the polity so as not to spark crises, but have a re-think and conduct themselves peacefully in the process.
