2023: Southern C’River APC Stakeholders Back Ayade on Zoning

Bassey Inyang in Calabar

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Cross River South senatorial district have declared that they will continue to support the state Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, to ensure that his successor in the 2023 elections emerges from the senatorial district.

The party stakeholders led by Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, who stated this at a press conference held in Calabar after a meeting at the weekend, said they remained resolute in support of Ayade who has promised that he would support the southern zone of the state to produce the next governor.

Flanked by stakeholders from the zone, among them, Etubom Bassey Eyo Ndem, Chief Ekpenyong Asuquo, Chief Sam Bassey, Senator Bassey Otu, and the Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Joseph Bassey, Ita-Giwa said the governor as the leader of the APC in the state has the right and authority to give direction to the party in the state.

Reading from a text entitled: ‘Cross River State Governorship 2023: Our Unwavering Commitment to the Back to South Agenda’, Ita-Giwa said: “The governor remains the leader of the APC in the state and the South-south region, and has the right and authority to give direction to the party in the state. We thank the governor for the direction he has provided, and we stand with him firmly on this.

“We thus express our solidarity with the governor for his total and unwavering commitment to the return of power to the southern senatorial district in 2023.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the leaders and people of the southern senatorial district are aware that no senatorial district can on its own make a governor, that is why we are committed to ensuring that we work harmoniously with the central and northern senatorial districts in achieving our desire for power to return to the southern senatorial district in 2023.”

Emphasising that the stance of the governor is correct, and in the best interest of the state, Ita-Giwa said: “We further wish to state that all the three senatorial districts know that our demand for power to return to the southern senatorial district is equitable, justifiable, fair and is the proper thing to happen at this time.

“Furthermore, we will like to use this opportunity to call on all well-meaning Cross Riverians to rise in support of power rotation and return of power to the southern senatorial district in May 29, 2023.

“We are convinced that every well-meaning Cross Riverian in our state is aware that our state has witnessed continuous peace and stability as a result of power rotation from one senatorial district to another since 1999 till date.

“No doubt, even our founding fathers had envisaged the need for us all to live in the state where peace and harmony reigns. Also, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended guarantees federal character principle for equity, peace and harmony.”

The stakeholders appealed to other stakeholders from other parts of the state to support the governor in order to ensure the southern zone produces the next governor in 2023.