…Says Otu’s Candidature Represents Fairness, Truth, Justice, Freedom
A political heavyweight from Cross River State, who is also a former Leader of the Senate, distinguished Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, has called on Cross Riverians to come out en masse on Saturday, March 18, 2023, to vote massively for the gubernatorial standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, Senator (Prince) Bassey Otu, and alk candidates of the party for the state Assembly election.
Ndoma-Egba, who made the call in a special message via an online video on Thursday, said that the state cannot afford to be in opposition with the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC as the President-elect.
He insisted that the zoning arrangement and understanding that has ensured peaceful co-existence among Cross Riverians shouldn’t be broken at this point in time in the interest of the state.
Going by the power rotation formula that has been in place and strictly followed in the state, Cross River South, where Senator Otu emanates from is favoured among the three senatorial districts to produce the governor in 2023.
With the belief that Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is the godfather and major sponsor of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Sandy Onor, the erstwhile chairman of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, told Cross Riverians that it would be dangerous to allow external forces determine who becomes the next governor of the state.
Below is Ndoma-Egba’s full message:
“Greetings fellow Cross Riverians, I am Victor Ndoma-Egba, a papal knight of St. Sylvester the Pope, Officer of the Federal Republic, OFR, Commander of the Order of Niger, CON, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, the Leader of the Seventh Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Saturday, 18th March 2023, the date set aside by the Independent Natıonal Electoral Commission, INEC, for the election of our governor and members of the Cross River State House of Assembly, is a date with history. It is a date for us Cross Riverians to decide whether we remain masters and mistresses of our destiny or we become slaves to the governor of another state, facing imminent retirement, who is in search of his pension from our state.
“I was born in Ikom in the Central senatorial district of the state, went to school in Ogoja, in the North and practiced law there for a while, before settling in Calabar, in the South, where by the grace of God I prospered. I am a complete local boy, who did not seek greener pastures anywhere else other than Cross River State, in spite of the opportunities providence offered me. I am a proud Cross Riverian, who has benefited from the generosity and kindness of Cross Riverians and have been defined by Cross River State. I chose to remain with my people all my life.
“The choices before us on 18th March, 2023, are stark. It is a choice between freedom and slavery, a choice between truth and falsehood, a choice between justice and injustice, a choice to be freeborns or to be vassals and underlings. Senator Bassey Edet Otu, aka Sweet Prince, is a choice for truth, justice and freedom. He represents what we have stood for – justice, truth and history.
“The candidates of the two major parties, the APC and the PDP, have had opportunities of public services at different times. While Bassey Otu’s achievements remain acclaimed many years out of office, that of the other candidate, Senator Sandy Onor of the PDP, who is still in office is discussed in whimpers.
“Since its creation in 1967 as a South-Eastern state and the creation of Akwa-Ibom State in 1987 out of it, we have always shared opportunities and resources on the basis of senatorial districts and local governments, and not ethnicity. No wonder, when Atam Congress reared its head in Donald Duke’s second term, we all, including the candidate of the PDP and its endorsers rose in condemnation. Today, the PDP takes into account Governor Ben Ayade’s two years in APC and fraudulently ignores his six years in PDP. The same Governor Ayade they had commended in the past.
“They claim Senator Bassey Otu is a product of Governor Ayade. This is not true. Senator Otu was the outcome of a thorough and transparent process, part of which I midwifed. Assuming, but not conceding that Governor Ayade had a hand in his emergence, his status cannot be as bad as that of the PDP candidate, who was imposed on his party by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who has generously funded him in the hope of getting returns in his retirement from Cross River State.
“The candidate of the PDP is a candidate of external forces, while Senator Bassey Otu is the candidate of Cross Riverians. The ambition of one man is not worth the peace and unity of our state. Stand for truth and reject falsehood!
“We as a state are too vulnerable to be in the opposition. That has been the message since 1999. Today, we have a President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of the APC, we still cannot be in opposition. Be wise. Vote for Senator Bassey Otu and all the candidates of the APC for the Cross River State House of Assembly.
“God bless Cross State. God bless us all!”
