By Able Winnard
CALABAR – Few days before the governorship election, a sociocultural group known as Cross River State Southern Senatorial District Assembly issued a statement calling on all cross Riverians to support the zoning system established in the state, with the belief that electing Sen. Prince Bassey Otu as the next governor of the state will establish zoning and put an end to the debate of zoning in Cross River State.
The group in an Open letter issued yesterday and signed by its leader, Mr John Offiong said zoning and rotational politics have helped stabilised the state thus encouraging equity, fairness and justice amongst the various ethnic groupings and geographical regions in the state. He, therefore, called on Cross Riverian as a matter of fairness and equity to support the candidacy of Prince Bassey Edet Otu.
The letter also reminded Cross Riverians that the Back to South agenda isn’t an exclusive voyage of the South as several illustrious personalities from the state across geographical and ethnic boundaries as well as politically divided were present at the Calabar Sports Club for the lunch of the agenda themed: CALABAR DECLARATION.
He noted that many of these persons including some of the persons who today are fighting against the agenda had signed the document to commit themselves to ensure that zoning remains a part of the political calculations of the state.
He used the medium to therefore, solicit for support for Sen. Prince Bassey Otu come 11th March 2023.
The letter reads below:
AN OPEN LETTER TO CROSS RIVERIANS AS WE APPROACH OUR DATE WITH DESTINY*
Dear Cross Riverians,
As we draw closer to the 2023 gubernatorial elections, I want to solicit your support concerning the vision and dreams for a better and prosperous Cross River State where our dreams will become a reality for the good of us all.
It is based on the aforementioned that I want to state that Cross River State belongs to all of us, both indigenes and residents alike and we deserve a peaceful coexistence amongst ourselves across tribes and ethnicity. In achieving the aforesaid, we need to ensure that political offices, especially elected offices are shared evenly amongst us.
I want to believe that the issue of back-to-south and rotational politics/zoning in Cross River State has been settled issue. For those Cross Riverians whose political parties for whatever reason had given out their party’s gubernatorial ticket to a non-southerner, which is against the wish and aspirations of true democrats in the state, we solicit that you follow the trend and vote individual and not party.
Only recently, and I remember vividly just like yesterday when the entire Cross River State represented by note-worthy personalities assembled at the Calabar Sports Club for what would later be the greatest gathering of the century by Cross Riverians across Party lines and professions. It was at this gathering the code name ” THE CALABAR DECLARATION” which was the decision to support the south to produce a governor come 2023 was taken with several persons appending their signatures to the document.
At the meeting,g the question as to whether the south had someone credible enough and qualified to lead the state was thrown up and the answer was “Yes, we will find one”.The good news is that today, we have found one in the person of Sen. Prince Bassey Edet Otu. He is not only credible but experienced, loved and accepted by all across the state and party lines.
It is worth noting that rotating the seat between the three senatorial districts breeds harmony and eschews rancour from amongst us as it helps us to be fair, just and equitable, especially with the weak within us.
With this in mind, it is expected that the forthcoming elections will see Cross Riverians voting individuals and not party and if we achieve “Back to South” in 2023, be rest assured that Cross River will always follow that path, signalling that rotation has come to stay.
In as much as politics is local, these issues are not worth our consideration reasons being that the Governor of a state isn’t a governor for his immediate constituency such as his LGA or Ward rather he will be governor for the entire state. We may be concerned as to his senatorial district because of our senatorial rotational politics in Cross River State but Sen. Prince Bassey Edet Otu will not be an ethnic bigot, that is for sure.
Naturally the Federal House of Representatives seats needed to be domiciled in Odukpani as Calabar Municipality has held onto the seat for 12 years going and returning it back them would mean denying Odukpani another 4-8 years without a federal representative. So, it was natural that it goes to Odukpani. It will now therefore be evil and unpatriotic for anyone to say because Odukpani got what is due them, then the Back to South mantra is dead on arrival.
Again Sen. Prince Bassey Edet Otu has always made it clear that he is a politician who represents the interest of the entire state and Cross Riverians and residents of the state, unlike other candidates who have continuously tried to divide the state by publicly flaunting the Ejagham card on Cross Riverians.
We, therefore, call on Cross Riverians and residents alike to come out en masse to vote and rebuild Cross River State. Let us vote for Sen. Prince Bassey Edet Otu as the next governor of Cross River State. This is the only way we can secure our state for our children.
Thank you and God bless.
Yours sincerely
John Offiong
Chief of Party
Cross River State Southern Senatorial District Assembly