C’River South Governorship Aspirants Advised to Unite

Bassey Inyang in Calabar

As the clock ticks towards the 2023 general elections, governorship aspirants from the Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State have been tasked to forge a common front an pick a consensus candidate so as to enable the area produce the next governor of the state.

Aspirants from the Southern Senatorial District on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that have so far declared their ambition to contest the 2023 governorship election include Senator Gershom Bassey; members House of Representatives, Hon. Daniel Asuquo, and Sir Arthur Jarvis Archibong, Eng.Mkpang Coco Bassey while Professor Sandy Onor, the senator representing central senatorial district has also cast his hat into the governorship race. 

Stakeholders of the PDP from the Southern Senatorial District of Cross Rivers State, while making the call said they are vehemently in support of the zoning of the governorship position to the senatorial district, a stance also held by the state governor, Professor Ben Ayade,  who is  of the  All Progressives Congress(APC).

To press home their message the forum which held its second a one-day summit with the theme: “Resetting Cross River for Recovery and Growth- with Focus on the States’ Economy, Leadership, Politics, Community Values and Security,” in Calabar at the instance of Senator Bassey Ewa Henshaw, issued an eight-point communiqué where they emphasized their support for the Calabar Declaration of November 2021, which insisted on zoning of the governorship position to the southern senatorial district in 2023.

The communiqué which was signed by Senator Henshaw, High Chief Archibong Omon, Obonganwan Barbara Etim James ,Ntufam (Dr.) Joe Edet, Prof. Onette Onette , Mba Ukweni, SAN;  Engr. Joel Henshaw, Dr. Maurice Ekong, Barr. Patricia Endeley, and others, and made available to THISDAY yesterday read in part: “The summit is a follow-up of the earlier decision by the Elders & stakeholders of the Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State on 20/2/21, which directed a team to carry out an assessment of the future leadership needs of the state and also establish a benchmark to determine the readiness, capacity and suitability of aspirants from the Senatorial district for the office of the governor of Cross River State.

“That the team came up with three thematic points to assess the competence and capacity of all the aspirants to weather through the vigorous storms of electioneering campaigns, their ability to articulate their vision and mission statements as encapsulated in their blueprint for the state with specific focus on: The poor economic situation of the state and the associated debt problem, community values and security against the backdrop of the effect of incessant communal crises in almost all the Local Government Areas (LGAs)  of the state; and the kidnappings, robberies and drug abuse including leadership and politics vis-a-vis their capacity, mental preparedness for leadership and service to the state.

“That the summit revealed that, from the quality of the presentation by the aspirants, the stakeholders of the southern senatorial district of Cross River State are satisfied and confident that the Southern Senatorial District has many qualified people who can vie for the office of governor.”

Continuing, the stakeholders noted in the communiqué that:  “The summit notes further that whereas the Southern Senatorial District has waited for sixteen years out of power, and supported leaders from other zones; in the interest of peace and mutual coexistence, it is now the turn of the Southern Senatorial District to produce the next governor of Cross River State in 2023.

 “The Constitution of the PDP supports the principles of zoning; hence, Cross River State cannot, but do the same.

“The summit, therefore, adopts the Calabar Declaration of 5th November 2021 and calls on all participants across the state to join hands to fulfill the just and equitable quest by the Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State to return power to the Southern Senatorial District come 2023.”

The communiqué urged all the governorship aspirants from the Southern Senatorial District to come together and rally round one strong and acceptable candidate who has acceptance across the entire State and can win the governorship for the PDP.