May 09, (THEWILL) – Elders of the People’s Democratic Party from the Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State, have endorsed the candidature of Senator Gershom Bassey.
The elders declare that the senator, who represents the southern Senatorial District of Cross River State, is its preferred candidate for the Cross River Guber race.
The forum also declared its total support on zoning, saying it is Southern Cross River’s turn to produce the next Governor of Cross River.
The Elder’s position was made known in a statement in Calabar, which was signed by at least eighteen elders.
The Elder’s statement read in part, “In the light of palpable tension existing within the Cross River State political atmosphere, regarding which Senatorial district produces the next governor in 2023, it is needful that this brief, simplified history be made available to the public, in an attempt to put to rest issues of zoning, or free contest.
“From 1999 until the recent defection by the incumbent governor to another party, Cross River State had been a PDP state with an ideology of equitable distribution of power amongst Senatorial districts.
“Between 1999 and 2007, former governor, Donald Duke, in a keenly contested election pioneered a process that instituted the need for zoning of the governorship seat, as reflected in his emergence as a southern governor. Thereafter, it became necessary for power to transit from Cross River South, to another Senatorial District within the state.
“The emergence of Senator Liyel Imoke as governor from the Central Senatorial District gave credit to this calculation, as he became governor between 2007 and 2015. Within this period, in what many political thinkers assumed to be a gentlemanly agreement, it was fundamentally entrenched within the PDP, that when power departs from one Senatorial district, it must move to the next, in a successive manner.
“Therefore, for equity, justice and fairness, it is expedient that the governorship seat is returned to the south. After due consultation with the majority of Cross River State Southern elders, it was agreed upon and signed by the underlisted, that the candidature of Senator Gershom Bassey, whose withdrawal from the governorship race in 2015 and acceptance of a northern candidate gave credence to zoning, is hereby endorsed.”
Elders, who endorsed the statement include Chief Gershom Davis – Cal. South; Prof. Offiong Ani Offiong – Cal. Municipality; Chief(Dr) Kofi Ikpeme – Odukpani; Mr Mba Ukwenu (SAN) – Biase; Chief Ekpenyong Uguana – Biase; Ntufam Linus Ekpe – Akamkpa; Hon. Patrick Okon – Akpabuyo; Hon. Boniface Archibong – Akpabuyo; Dr Maurice Ekong – Ca. South and Hon. Emmanuel Etene – Bakassi.
Others are; Hon. Chris Ekpo – Cal. Municipality; Dr Effiong Mkpanam – Cal. Municipality; Mr Francis Ironbar – Cal. South; Rt. Hon. Maurice Orok Edem – Cal. South; Nella Ewa(SAN) – Cal. south; Mrs Patricia Endeley – Cal. South; Deaconess Mary Etim Walker – Cal. South; Mrs Rosemary Essessien – Cal. South; Hon. Orok Iban – Calabar south; Barr. Ekpo Ada – Odukpani; Dr Joseph Adim Bassey – Bakassi; Mrs Caroline Adam Moffat – Akamkpa and Mrs Nkechi Ebri – Calalar Municipality.
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
