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Ukorebi Esien | 7th March 2023
A pro-Southern Group known as Cross River State Southern Senatorial District Assembly, whose vision is for the betterment and improvement of Southern Cross River has called on members and residents of the state to embrace the Back-to-South agenda, stating that electing a southerner in the forthcoming gubernatorial election as governor of the state will make the issue of zoning permanent in the state.
This was contained in an open letter signed by the chief of party of the group, Mr John Offiong, who recalled that the Back to South agenda was launched and accepted by Cross Riverians across party lines sometime last year at the Calabar Aport Club during the Calabar Declaration meeting where many Cross Riverians including some persons who are opposing the agenda today.
He, therefore, called and Cross Riverians and residents to embrace the agenda and vote for Sen. Prince Bassey Otu come Saturday 11th March 2023.
The letter reads in full:
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 ethnic groupings. 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 democracy 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 code-named, " THE CALABAR DECLARATION" 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, the question as to whether the south has someone credible enough and qualified to lead the state was thrown up and the answer was "Yes, we will find one".The good news today is that 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 helped 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 constituencies 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 to 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
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