The Lumine News

Author: The Lumine News

  • Peter Obi Endorsement Of Sandy Onor And The Issuing Of Threats To Igbo Community In Cross River State By The APC BY UMEZULIKE DESMOND-CRUZ

    Peter Obi Endorsement Of Sandy Onor And The Issuing Of Threats To Igbo Community In Cross River State By The APC BY UMEZULIKE DESMOND-CRUZ

    PETER OBI ENDORSEMENT OF SANDY ONOR AND THE ISSUING OF THREAT TO THE IGBO COMMUNITY IN CROSS RIVER STATE BY THE APC

    Understandably, the endorsement of Senator Sandy Ojang Onor, the Gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Cross River State, by Mr Peter Obi, dealt a traumatizing and deafening blow on the APC in Cross River State. While I heartily sympathize with them and in the spirit of sportsmanship, acknowledge their right to react to the issue of Obi’s endorsement of Senator Sandy Ojang, I honestly feel it is sickeningly insulting for the APC to issue threats to the Igbo Community in Cross River State, just because Mr. Peter Obi endorsed Senator Sandy Ojang Onor.

    I read with utter dismay and grave concern a publication attributed to one of the Spokesperson of the APC in Cross River State, wherein, he flagrantly accused Mr. Peter Obi and his people–the igbos– of trying to reintroduce what he referred to as “internal colonialism” and vowed that his Party will do everything to stop Mr. Peter Obi and “his people”. Firstly, let me acknowledge the fact that it is the constitutional right of Mr. Peter Obi to endorse any Gubernatorial candidate, and in this case, if there is any Political Party that has the right to react offensively to the endorsement, it should be the Labour Party in Cross River State, and not the APC. I mean, we have over 14 Political Parties in Cross River State fielding Gubernatorial Candidates, why is the APC the only party whose feathers are ruffled by this endorsement? Why are they trying so hard to incite the people of the State against the Igbo community in Cross River? Why are they making unnecessary reference to the bitter issues of Civil War and the pre-colonial era?

    More worrisome is the fact that Peter Obi’s endorsement of Senator Sandy Ojang Onor, has no ethnic coloration, as Sandy himself is an Ejagham Man from Etung Local Government and married to an Ejagham woman from same Etung Local Government Area. Sandy’s mother, who is from Akamkpa is also Ejagham and not Igbo. I am pretty sure that, if you trace the genealogy of Senator Sandy Ojang Onor, at least, to the 4th generation, you may likely not find any ancestral link with the Igbos. And same goes to his Deputy Governorship Candidate, who is proudly an Efik Princess, from a reputable Royal family. So, on what basis is the APC trying to whip up ethnocentric sentiment against the Igbos in Cross River State, due to Mr. Peter Obi endorsement of Senator Sandy?

    I am an Igbo man from Cross River State–proudly and unapologetically so– and I speak on the basis of Self–preservation and morality, not Politics. The APC in Cross River State must as a matter of utmost importance, stop the fanning of these smoldering embers of hatred against the Igbos in Cross River State. The Gubernatorial candidate of the APC must call to order, some of his overzealous media handlers, lest they set the entire state on fire. I am an Igbo man and it is my inalienable right to support whosoever I deem fit to govern our State. Enough of the threats!

    ©Umezulike Desmond-cruz

  • A Harvest Of Endorsements For Sandy Onor As Saturday 18 Beckons BY DOMINIC KIDZU

    A Harvest Of Endorsements For Sandy Onor As Saturday 18 Beckons BY DOMINIC KIDZU

    A HARVEST OF ENDORSEMENTS FOR SANDY ONOR AS SATURDAY 18 BECKONS

    BY DOMINIC KIDZU

    Saturday this week is going to be an unforgettable day for Cross River State as the people troop out in their numbers to cast their vote for the kind of tomorrow they want. Already, political, religious, socio-cultural and commercial interest groups have began to indicate clearly the choices they have made and the direction of their votes.

    For Senator Sandy Onor it has been a harvest of endorsements from very influential people and groups who have chosen him over and above the APC candidate. The battle cry from all who have pledged to help to crown him king has been the search for a clean break from the nightmare of the APC administration which they have disavowed as evil and retrogressive.

    They all seem to agree that a vote for Prince Otu will translate to foisting an Ayade dynasty in Cross River State through the backdoor since it was Ben Ayade’s consumptive junior brother, Frank Ayade, who single handedly chose Prince Otu as candidate and has continued to fund his campaign from the proceeds of state capture in the last eight years. Apart from Frank Ayade, huge amounts of money are also said to have been removed from the local government funds for the Ayade-Continuity-Project which they are prosecuting as a do-or-die affair.

    The Ibo union in Cross River state has endorsed Senator Sandy Onor, so has the Akwa Ibom union, two critical interest groups in the state. The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Cross River wing of National Youth Council of Nigeria, about ten other political parties, apart from the Labour Party and it’s vastly popular presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi and our quintessential former Governor, Mr Donald Duke.

    Only yesterday, ten candidates for the two seats in the House of Assembly from Calabar South, Prince Otu’s safe heaven, also joined the widely popular movement for Sandy Onor governorship. Various women groups and market associations have also adopted Senator Onor’s electrifying running mate, Emana Duke Amawhe and are rallying their members to work for her ticket.

    It is now very clear that the people have rejected the APC and what the party has come to represent under the mediocre leadership of Governor Ben Ayade who spent eight years supervising the deliberate and systemic destruction of everything the people were proud of about their dear state. Our rich forests, our tourism, our finances and all state institutions have been laid waste by a party and government that does not know when enough is actually enough.

    Now the die is cast and the people have made their choice. Even though the ruling party has continued to perfect their plans to manipulate election results by compromising INEC officials, disruption of the voting process and thuggery, the will of the people will triumph and their choices will still stand. As Donald Duke said in his endorsement video yesterday, “This Back-to-South slogan is simply just back to the status quo, back to the Ayades with one transitioning from Co-governor to the actual governor through his surrogate he single-handedly picked and has funded thus far”.

  • Nigerian Army Remain Neutral And Apolitical In The Discharge Of Its Constitutional Roles; Not Perturbed By Politically Motivated Fake News – FHQ

    Nigerian Army Remain Neutral And Apolitical In The Discharge Of Its Constitutional Roles; Not Perturbed By Politically Motivated Fake News – FHQ

    NIGERIAN ARMY REMAINS NEUTRAL AND APOLITICAL IN THE DISCHARGE OF ITS CONSTITUTIONAL ROLES; NOT PERTURBED BY POLITICALLY MOTIVATED FAKE NEWS

    The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to a deliberately calculated smear campaign in the Social Media and other fora against some of our senior commanders and officers. While these unconscionable acts are inexplicable, the motivation behind them are not far-fetched. In the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections, officers and men of the Nigerian Army adopted a firm and resolute stance in providing security support for the Elections in a manner that effectively curbed and prevented ill-intentioned groups from violently interfering with the process. There is no doubt that Nigerians are excited at this responsible posture and the democratic opportunity it offered them. However, some interest groups, that were effectively prevented from hatching their nefarious plots to influence the course of the elections through violence, are understandably piqued by this assertiveness of the Nigerian Army.

    As constitutionally conceived, the Nigerian Army is nationalistic in its make-up and organization, drawing strengths from the diversities in our great nation. Our responsibilities, so far as elections are concerned, remain that of providing support to primary law enforcement and stakeholders in the Electioneering process towards ensuring that Nigerians are allowed to choose their leaders and representatives in a peaceful manner. This goal remains our only focus and one we would continue to pursue, mindful that the average citizen expects nothing less from his Army.

    The Army Headquarters wishes to assure the public that any misconduct against any of its personnel would be responsibly investigated and any subsequent substantiation would attract the appropriate disciplinary sanctions in accordance with established practices and extant laws. In the same vein, it should equally be appreciated that the character and reputation of a senior officer earned over 3 decades of meritorious service cannot be allowed to be destroyed by misguided elements through mere speculations. The resort to the sentiments of ethnic and religious colorations would not also diminish the Nigerian’s Army resolve to carry on its roles professionally.

    The Nigerian Army, therefore, urges all Nigerians to ignore the mischief being propagated by ill-intentioned individuals and groups, and continue to go about their civic responsibilities without any fear of molestation. We would continue to work with sister Services and other Security Agencies to meet all security-related expectations of citizens as enshrined in the laws of the Federation.

    ONYEMA NWACHUKWU
    Brigadier General
    Director Army Public Relations
    13 Mar 2023

  • Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (IV)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (IV)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (IV)…

    Opportunity Statement

    It is on record that in the past 10 years, over N1.5trillion has been appropriated for constituency projects in Nigeria, yet the impact of such huge spending on the lives and welfare of ordinary Nigerians can hardly be seen. Peeved by the ugly development, the ICPC in May 2020, declared that it would prosecute recalcitrant legislators, who are gifted to diverting funds meant for constituency projects.

    The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, said in an interview that the Commission, in its bid to look at the kind of corruption that affects ordinary people, would investigate the execution of constituency projects.

    While informing Buhari of this ugly development during a visit in 2020, Prof. Owasanoye told the President that: “Sir, we discovered that some agencies of government are favourites for the embedding of constituency projects irrespective of their core mandate and capacity of these agencies to deliver or supervise projects. Most notorious in this regard are the Border Communities Development Agency, and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria.

    “Duplication of contracts with the same description, narrative, amount, location awarded by the same MDA to bring the amount allocated within approval threshold of the executing agency, or to expend allocation to sponsor of the constituency project.

    “Many of the contracts were inflated yet poorly executed. Substandard items were used against specifications in the Bill of Engineering Measurements and Evaluation thus diminishing the value of the projects to the intended beneficiaries. Many projects were also not built to specification.”

    He also pointed out that: “Empowerment and capacity building projects are very popular, but are highly prone to abuse and very difficult to track. We find that almost 50 percent of budgetary allocation to zonal intervention projects goes to these opaque activities. Empowerment items are sometimes stashed away by sponsors and not distributed till the next budget cycle while in some cases, the same items are re-budgeted and duplicated.

    “Many community members believe that sponsors pay for projects from their funds, rather than from public treasury. Thus they are beholden to the sponsor rather than claim their rights.”

    Propositions

    1. Instead of stuffing a few notes into envelopes and distributing on camera to constituents as constituency bursary intervention, why not commit such funds into starting properly managed Educational Trust Funds, open to public donations and scrutiny? This isn’t difficult. It begins with a meeting of your team of professionals and a team from the State Scholarship Board.

    2. There is an urgent need for the amendment of the Federal Scholarship law to allow sub-national scholarship boards to explore and expand their funds net and accountability feedbacks, with a view to broadening their scope of intervention. Someone has to draft that amendment.

    3. Instead of waiting for phone calls from desperate sick constituents asking for help for emergency medical bills, why not collaborate amongst the members going to the 10th NASS from Cross River State, to kick-start a subsidized health insurance scheme for vulnerable members of our communities? A pilot scheme can begin with an HMO and a hundred subscribers from each Federal Constituency and Senatorial District, mostly women of child bearing age, and expand the net there-upon. This will grow to cover other constituents over time.

    4. Instead of giving handouts to people to pay rents, can we begin to consider a legislative framework for alternative and affordable mass housing options and models for our communities? Things like, fire proof, affordable, prefabricated settlements that will solve the housing problem on a sustainable and incremental basis?

    5. Can we also begin to consider legislation that will support the building of hi-tech functional innovation and entrepreneurship clubs and centers and clubs, in our constituencies and ensure they function efficiently by challenging them to produce implementable products on realistic timelines?

    These are actually things that require discipline to do, and they tarry before maturation, and politicians generally believe that such things don’t help them to win the next election. Yet in the long run, it is the mushrooming of these structures that will solve society’s problems on a sustainable basis.

    The only person I know who ever commanded his followers to cast their burdens on him and meant what he said was, Jesus the Christ. But he was not voted into power. The people we vote cannot solve our problems by themselves. They solve them through systems and structures. Without building systems, there is little they can do on their own. That’s why they haven’t been able to solve any of our problems because they keep trying to do it through personal bank alerts and their back pockets. But they are actually meant to midwife the building of structures, systems and processes that will perpetually solve our problems, even when they leave office.

    And today, they have so pauperized us that we no longer know the difference between service and charity. But may God give us understanding to discern the difference and be able make our leaders serve us accountably.

    …. _To be continued_ …..

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Re: Ethnic Attack On The Effiks By The PDP Governorship Candidate In Cross River State, Can Cross River State Survive A Prof Sandy Leadership?

    Re: Ethnic Attack On The Effiks By The PDP Governorship Candidate In Cross River State, Can Cross River State Survive A Prof Sandy Leadership?

    RE: ETHNIC ATTACK ON THE EFIKS BY THE PDP GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE IN CROSS RIVER STATE, CAN CROSS RIVER STATE SURVIVE A PROF. SANDY LEADERSHIP?

    Our attention has been drawn to a write up with the above title written by one Ekpenyong Isaiah-isababa, who regards himself as Commander, Infantry Pen Battalion, and a video of Sen Sandy Onor, purported to have denigrated the Efiks, while responding to a question filed during an interactive session with the Efik Youths, under the auspices of the Progressive Southern Alliance.

    Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have bothered about responding to his fictitious claims and write up which is capable of creating ethnic bigotry, unrest, chaos and social malady.
    But for the purpose of putting the records straight and to strengthen the confidence reposed on our principal by both the Efiks and non-Efiks alike, as a build up to the governorship election that comes up few days from today, we make bold to state emphatically, that the allegation is false and has no correlation with what transpired during that interactive session.
    The claim is a complete misrepresentation, and a misinformation of the response offered by our principal, Sen Sandy Onor, on why the central always contest for the position of University of Calabar Vice Chancellorship and governorship positions with the south.

    Mr Ekpenyong Isaiah-Isababa probably was not in attendance during that said town hall meeting, else, he would have had a full knowledge of what transpired. A background check on the person of our principal and his contributions during his stay as the State Chairman of the National Centre Party and the enthronement of Mr Donald Duke, as governor of the state in 1999, on the basis of his competence, an Efik son against his Atam brother, clearly confirms his disposition to promote unity in the state.

    While touring the 18 local government areas of the state, our principal was very vocal about promoting our commonalities that unite us other than the contemplating ethnicity that divides us.

    The video in circulation on social media is an abridged video from the main video, with the malicious intent to dent the reputation of our principal, whose support and acceptance has become unwavering.
    The writer’s intention not to publish the complete video for Cross Riverians to watch and understand what really transpired, can only be best explained by him.

    For the records, the full video from which the purported anti-Efik video was extracted from, lasted for about 40-45 minutes and watching the video will give you full grasps of what Sen Sandy Onor said. We want to clarify that Sen Sandy Onor was only responding to a question “Why is the Central always opposing the South in the VC’ship elections and same thing transpired in the PDP primaries”, asked by a southern youth.

    Our principal listed names of Southerners who have been Vice Chancellors, and spoke in the context of the question, and so should not be quoted out of context that he tried to incite ethnic hate.

    We want to state unequivocally that at no time during that interactive session or any session that our principal made mention of the Efiks derogatorily or disrespectfully. Whoever claim so should provide such evidence.

    The attached edited video shows our principal responding to the question where he mentioned the former Vice Chancellors of the University of Calabar, from Southern Senatorial District numbering 4 and mentioned that only Profs Kelvin Etta and James Epoke had occupied the position from central senatorial district, before the current Vice Chancellor, Prof Florence Obi. Our principal wondered why, it must always be the south.

    We want to remind the public that when Donald Duke contested elections from the South, he was fully Supported by Sandy Onor, even though he had his own candidate in his then party from Atam, running for the same position. If Sen Sandy did not play ethnicity or was not anti-Efik then, is it now that he is on the ballot, campaigning in Efik land and looking for their votes that he will suddenly become an anti-Efik? If he is an anti-Efik as they claimed, he should not have chosen his deputy from amongst the Efiks.

    It is no longer news that Sen Sandy Onor has insisted that the BACKtoSOUTH, mantra as theorized and widely advocated by some persons, is not healthy for our state, and that Cross Riverians should interrogate his past records on the basis of competence and support him to be governor of the state.

    We call on the public to ignore the cheap blackmail against Sen Sandy Onor. If it were not a blackmail and a cheap way of trying to get sympathy for their candidate, they would have posted the full video of the said occasion. But why will they post when they know that Sen Sandy Onor is loved by the people including their own sons and daughters?

    Cross Riverians should please go about their normal electioneering businesses without fear because Sen Sandy Onor, has once supported the south to be Governor of Cross River State and will not turn around to be anti-Efik now. Sen Sandy has convinced Cross Riverians to vote for him based on his double barreled experiences both in the Executive and Legislative arms of government, which puts out his competence as shown in his previous positions of assignment and the projects facilitated as spread across the Central Senatorial District, during his stay in the senate.

    Let’s vote for a man that will not look us into the eyes and lie to us, someone with a clear vision for CRS, let’s vote Sen Prof Sandy Ojang Onor, let’s vote PDP, let’s vote the Umbrella, because CRS will truly survive and her lost glories returned, under the leadership of this seasoned administrator.

    Caterpillar Movement Media

  • RE: I Will Resign As Running Mate to Sandy Onor of PDP before 18th March

    RE: I Will Resign As Running Mate to Sandy Onor of PDP before 18th March

    RE: I Will Resign As Running Mate to Sandy Onor of PDP before 18th March

    Our attention has been drawn to a malicious and inciting post circulating on social media by agents of the All Progressives Congress, in an attempt to brandish a false narrative that the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate and his Deputy, Lady Emana Duke Ambrose-Amawhe are not on the same page. This could not be more untrue.

    Ordinarily, the person of Lady of Emana Duke Ambrose-Amawhe does not join issues with overzealous errand boys, who earn a living by spewing lies and unfounded falsehood, in a frail attempt to deliberately misinform the public and garner goodwill from unsuspecting electorates. However, it is pertinent that we state the facts clearly for the benefit of unsuspecting Cross Riverians.

    The said publication has no element of truth and is nothing but a figment of the writer’s own distorted imagination. For the avoidance of doubt, there has never been a time where Lady Emana Duke Ambrose-Amawhe has said privately or publicly that she will resign her position as running mate to the Governorship Candidate of the PDP. Senator Sandy Onor has nothing but love for the people of the South, and respects all his Southern alliances, especially due to the fact that he has a Southern matrilineal heritage.

    It is not a new thing in our political culture for failing political Parties to engage the services of spin-doctors and propagandists to sell lies to gullible members of the public, in an attempt to reignite the dying embers of a terminally ill Party.

    The electorates are wiser now, and their votes will count in the coming elections!

    Emana Media

  • Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (III)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (III)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (III)…

    Opportunity Statement

    The Obudu Dam Resort, (Not the Ranch), is a multi purpose facility that provides recreational as well as the essential commodity, water to communities around its environs.

    Located in Ukwel-Obudu, (my mother’s village), less than 10 kilometers from the Obudu central bus terminal, the dam was destroyed by flood back in 2005 according to Patriot Abohson Sunday, who works at the resort.

    “Since then, people only visit the dam during festivities like Valentine’s day and may be Christmas” he says.

    The Federal Government on Wednesday 14th August 2012, at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, approved the contract sum of N1.165 billion for the rehabilitation of the dam.

    Briefing State House correspondents after that particular FEC meeting, former Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Stella Ochekpe, (currently in jail for corruption), accompanied by her former Information counterpart, Labaran Maku, lamented that the dam, which has a storage capacity of 1.25 million cubic meters, had been in an awful state, thereby affecting regional urban water supply in some communities in the area.

    She said a memo was raised and submitted to the Council to enable the government of Cross River State embark on its regional urban water supply project, which will cover four communities: Obudu, Ogoja, Ikom, and Calabar.

    She further revealed that, “The Cross River State government has, since 2005, gotten an International Development Association (IDA) loan to develop the regional water scheme that will meet the needs of these communities in Cross River. But because of the state of Obudu Dam, it has been impossible for that project to commence. The contract was awarded at the cost of N1.165 billion.”

    The contract for the rehabilitation was awarded to Consolidated Construction Limited, CCL. In another development, the World Bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and the Cross River State Water Board Limited, CRSWBL contracted Lilleker Brothers Limited, LBL to construct a water treatment plant, with the second phase being the construction of reticulation channels to benefiting neighboring communities.

    When completed, the dam was expected to facilitate the irrigation of about 100 hectares of agricultural land, boost fisheries and promote tourism in the northern part of the State. Details of the contract were headlined across the country and hopes were again high that life will return to the dam in no time, though some stakeholders had cautioned residents not to be too optimistic.

    True to the caution, the contract sum was misappropriated. But the good news is that, some of the thieves, former Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Ochekpe, Evans Leo, Sunday Jitong and Raymond Dabo, are in jail, after the EFCC secured their conviction.

    *Propositions*

    1. Immediate fact finding and on-the-spot visit to the Obudu Dam site by a powerful delegation led by the Senator for Northern Cross River, Jarigbe Agom and the House of Reps Member-Elect, Peter Akpanke, and other colleagues.

    2. Immediate fact finding visit to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

    3. Produce a public report on the current state of facilities at the dam, the state of the IDA loan, the whereabout of the FG contract money, and what is currently required to revamp the Dam.

    4. Present same to the relevant oversight committees of the NASS and lobby for urgent attention, including headlining same in the same manner the news of the contract award made headlines.

    5. Lobby the relevant committees of NASS to make adequate appropriation in the next cycle for commencement of work at the Dam.

    This effort should be led by Senator Jarigbe Agom, Peter Akpanke and all their colleagues from Cross River, going to the 10th NASS.

    Content from CrossRiverWatch/Jonathan Ugbal.

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Ogoja Diocese Releases Funeral Arrangement For The Late Arch Bishop Emeritus, Most Rev Dr Joseph Edra Ekpo

    Ogoja Diocese Releases Funeral Arrangement For The Late Arch Bishop Emeritus, Most Rev Dr Joseph Edra Ekpo

    The Catholic Diocese of Ogoja has released a funeral arrangements for the late Arch Bishop Emeritus, the Most Rev Dr Joseph Edra Ukpo.

    In a release signed by the Chancellor/Chairman of the funeral committee, Very Rev Fr Matthew Otuji, indicates that his body will be received at Mbok junction on Monday, 20th March, 2023 by 2:00pm and on Tuesday, 21 March, 2023, mass will be at the cathedral by 8:00am.

    The release reads in parts “I have the directives of His Lordship Most Rev Dr Donatus Edet Akpan to publish the burial programme of our patriarch – Arch Bishop Emeritus, Most Rev Dr Joseph Edra Ekpo, as follows”

  • That Fake Communique From The So Called Southern And Northern Leaders Of Thought

    That Fake Communique From The So Called Southern And Northern Leaders Of Thought

    THAT FAKE COMMUNIQUE FROM SO CALLED SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN LEADERS OF THOUGHT

    If not that in Nigerian politics one must respond to every barking dog, including the ones that are afflicted with rabies and canine influenza, there should have been no reason to ingratiate this flimsy piece of vomitus with this response that it does not by all means merit, in proper consideration of the substance and personages involved.

    But we must respond in other that innocent citizens of our dear state are saved the great peril of believing that the real man inside the mask is a member of the dancing troupe, not knowing that the fellow is merely a wayfarer that lost his bearing long before harmattan came and made his feet white and scaly. This response is therefore a social service to save the innocent from believing the guilty.

    To begin with, there was no meeting of Northern and Southern political leaders anywhere in the world on the 2nd of March, 2023, neither physical nor digital, nothing. No venue, no signatures, no truth. Secondly, there were no elected political office holders from the North mentioned at the fantom meeting. Not one! Just a continuation of the regime of lying and blindfolding that has crippled our dear state, misled our vibrant youth and made our corporate name a laughing stock throughout the federal republic.

    The people purported to have been at the imaginary meeting who are said to have signed the communique are quite frankly what one may safely describe as politically irrelevant as at today, even if you may admit that some of them may have held some kind of sway in time past, who unfortunately have detoriotated into the inelegant toga of food-on-the-table politicians.

    This assortment of have-beens, ethnic jingoists and ex-convicts clearly do not and cannot have the mandate of the people for whom they are posturing to speak. They are people who have condoned mediocrity and criminality in exchange for a mess of potage. For almost eight years they have watched the most brazen and dastardly attack on our commonality, our heritage and our common patrimony without so much of a righteous wimper or indignation. They represent no one in the South and certainly no one in the North. What they represent, to say the truth, is the length of their throats and the depth of their stomachs. It is the quest for more free food and unmerited patronage that spurs them on.

    We in the People’s Democratic Party are not surprised at their latest tantrums because we understand their fears. They have calculated correctly that the coming election will be different from the last one where they where allowed to rig freely without counter measures on the part of our party. They are also afrighted by the gale of adoptions by various interest groups including the PFN and 10 other parties who have seen that the candidate of the PDP is the only one with the vision, workplan and moral standing that can return Cross River State to the path of honour and prosperity.

    The Calabar-Ogoja-Accord has served its purpose and all three Senatorial Zones of the state have had their chance to lead the state or to ruin it. What we need today is a leader with the vision to heal Cross River from the rape and devastation it has endured and move it quickly forward to where it ought to be and not pieces of paper from food eaters who’s silent acquersence and duplicitous relationship with Ayade’s government helped the heist to pull through. Thank God the masses of our people know better and have chosen to cast their lot for Senator Sandy Ojang Onor come March 18,2023.

    CATERPILLAR MEDIA

  • C’River Guber Race: Coalition Of Opposition Political Parties Adopts, Collapse Structure For Sandy Onor

    C’River Guber Race: Coalition Of Opposition Political Parties Adopts, Collapse Structure For Sandy Onor

    By Admin

    Gale of defection has continued to gather momentum as the Coalition of Opposition Political Parties (COPPS) Cross River state chapter has formerly adopted and endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Sen Sandy Onor, ahead of the governorship polls.

    The Coalition made up of not fewer than 10 political parties, said they decided to collapsed their structures in support of Onor’s candidacy after their extra-ordinary meeting held yesterday to review state of affairs.

    A few days back, Sen Sandy Onor had also secured the endorsement of notable religious, social-clutural and political groups including the Ejagham Stakeholders Forum, (ESHF), Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), and the Obi-Dients Movements.

    In a statement by the Chairman of COPPs, Mr Ntami Esege, on behalf of ten of them, it said that the decision to team up with the PDP candidate is to support the man with the right credentials to led the state to an enviable height.

    He noted that the decision to support the PDP candidate was arrived at, after a careful assessment of all the candidates with focus on competence, capacity and character

    He pointed out that Onor’s antecedent placed him above every other candidate for the job of leading the state for the next four years.

    “Conscious of what the State has gone through in the last eight years, we unanimously resolved to support a man with the right credentials to lead the Stale to an enviable height,” he stated.

    The political parties include ADC, ZLP, AA, APGA, APP, APM, NRM, ADP, BP and Accord.