Yesterday, a long list of
appointments was made yet again by the Acting President, President Yemi
Osinbanjo. Out of curiosity i painstakingly ensured that I go through the list
more than thrice to see if finally luck had smiled on an Obubra son or daughter
but sadly, none.
This is not just sad but painful.
It is because, here is a Local Government with perhaps one of the largest
voting strength in the country. A Local Government that has most of its best in
terms of administration and politics in APC. A Local Government where at a time
the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was struggling hard to have an in
road in to the State, produced the first ever House of Assembly member/Minority
Leader in a keenly contested elections.
To say the Obubra chapter of the
All Progressive Congress (APC) in Cross River State is one of the most cheated
and disempowered chapters of the party is to be economical with the truth. It
is actually the most cheated, disempowered and disrespected. If it is not, as
some people would want to argue, why has an Obubra man not been found worthy
for appointment in spite of the number of appointment the president Muhammadu
Buhari led Government has so graciously given to Cross Riverians!
The truth is, those saddled with
the responsibility and privilege to nominate names for appointments have since
the inception of this administration given the Obubra/Mbembe man, the
impression that, nobody possesses the requisite qualification to hold a Federal
appointment. Whatever happens to a former Secretary to the State Government,
Barr Johnson Ebokpo, former Minority leader of the Cross River State House of
Assembly, Hon Alex Irek, Former National Assembly member, Chief Ernest Irek,
Former Special Adviser to the Governor of Cross River State, Mrs. Margret
Ebokpo, Mr Cyprian Oyom, Dr. Mathew Achigbe etc?
In their devilish and wicked plan
not to allow any Obubra man rise to a major position of authority, some powerful
forces are working tirelessly to ensure that Obubra never gets the State
Chairmanship position that I hear has be zoned to them. This they are doing
using some of our brothers who are willing to sell the entire LGA for peanuts. This
is a complete gang up against a people that have committed no crime.
The fact is, as each day passes by,
the ruling APC through some of its leaders in the State have continued to show
open disdain for the Obubra/Mbembe people within their midst. They have
continued to show signs of unwillingness to salvage Obubra from shackles of
underdevelopment and backwardness. They have shown in very clear terms that,
they are against the political and infrastructural growth of the Local
Government.
For me, while I agree that each and
every son and daughter of Obubra or Mbembe stock has the right to belong to any
political party or organization he or she deems fit, as enshrined in the
Nigeria constitution, I think that, the need for all, irrespective of party
affiliations to begin to speak in one voice, adopt common positions as we
gradually match towards 2019 has never been more sacrosanct.
We must begin to ask pertinent
questions moving forward. Questions that have to do with the growth and
development of Obubra and indeed, the Mbembe land.
If sincerely we desire a new
Obubra, then now is the time to assess and reassess which political platform
offers us such an opportunity. An opportunity to be independent, an opportunity
for an Mbembe man to be Senator, Minister or Ambassador etc, an opportunity to
freely choose our leaders and an opportunity to develop our people and our
Local Government.
Now is the time to use our number,
now is the time to show the naysayers that, we can actually sit and agree on a
common position, and now is the time to show those of them who think that they
can always buy our votes with used cars and peanuts anytime the need arises
that old things have passed away...
I insist a New Obubra is possible.
Richard Romanus
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