2023: APC should not risk governorship ticket going to Cross River south says Sen. Owan-Enoh
By Our Admin
Senator John Owan-Enoh on Sunday made an open declaration of his intention to contest the governorship ticket of the All Progressive Congress in Cross River State with a warning to the party stakeholders not the risk giving the ticket to any aspirant from the southern senatorial district of the state.
Owan-Enoh who is from the Central senatorial district of the state and was the flag bearer of the party of the APC in 2019 but lost to Governor Ayade who was in the PDP at that time, argued that the APC is not competitive in the southern senatorial district of the state.
Speaking at the Ishibori play ground, Ogoja in northern Cross River state, APC should not risk the governorship ticket going to the south. According to him, the reason in evident because after the decamping of the Governor to the APC , all the former national assembly members stayed back in the PDP. None of them came with him. And most of them are the masters of the politics of the south. On election day, Ayade will move to Obudu, I will move to Etung, the chieftains of the politics of the south will remain in their area and take charge. And work against APC.
He maintained that 2023 is too critical for APC to take a chance or risk the chance the have. APC must win Cross River because it is our time.
In 2023, APC is sure of victory in the senatorial election in the North because the governor’s coming to the APC has change the fundamentals of the party in the north. In the Central the APC prospect of winning in the senatorial election is high and sure. But I can’t say that for the south.
He further buttressed his argument against zoning the governorship seat saying, “There is nothing wrong with somebody from any senatorial district aspiring to be governor of Cross River State in 2023. There is nothing wrong with someone even from the north taking over from Governor Ben Ayade who is from North. That is so because by 2023, Cross River State would have completed an entire circle, and the state would have politically equalized. If anybody wanted political equalization that would have been completed by 2023; since 1999 till date we have had all the three senatorial district producing a governor. We have achieved political equalization in the state not through zoning, but through competition. We achieved the equalization by open contest and by competition.
He adjudged himself as the best man for the governorship seat of the state, saying, “Looking at the various aspirants within and outside the APC, there is no one that can do the job the way I can. There is no one that has the passion, that has the staying power, that has the commitment to service, there is no one that can attract the trappings of power to serve the people of Cross River State the way I will do.”
He said before declaring his intention, he spoke with the stae governor and leader of the party in the state, Senator Ben Ayade and he gave his consent.
Owan-Enoh also adjudged himself saying, I terms of serving Cross River, I will be unbeatable and that he plays his politics with grassroots appeal. “other Other APC candidate will need me to win election in their wards.”
“I am well prepared to lead our state, in this critical time in history. It is therefore with the the utmost desire to offer service to our people, that I stand before you, in this ancient town of Ogoja, on this day, Sunday April 10, 2022, to formerly declare my aspiration for the governorship of Cross River State, on the platform of the all progressive Congress APC. I arrived at this decision, after a long period of reflection and statewide consultations,” Own Enoh declared.
Concerning his manifesto, owan Enoh said, ” As governor, I will strategically and successfully deal with the top issues required, to drive transformational change and achieve the great society envisioned herein. The top issues identified here include; Unemployment, food insecurity, high cost of living-diminishing disposable income, insecurity, kidnapping, ritual killings, communal clashes and disappearing community friendship.
“Job creation shall therefore be one of the cardinal priorities of my administration. I will introduce several quick win programmes, with the aim of creating immediate and sustainable jobs in different sectors of our state, incentivize for community based races and agriculture.
“The industries built by the current administration will be taken advantage of, evaluated and supported to function effectively. We will introduce a host of artisan programs, training a targeted 5,000 youths annually. The aim is to leverage on Governor Ayade’s Industrialization drive, in the state, neighbouring state and the nation at large.
“We shall adopt a full Court press strategy with an industrial policy that will drive the value chains of some of our factor endowments including agriculture and a broad spectrum of others. We shall expand the state civil service,” he said.
The event was witnessed by stakeholders across the three senatorial districts of Cross River state and was graced by a large crowd.