March 30, (THEWILL) – The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Cross River State, Alphonsus Ogar Eba, has said that ethnicity has no place in the politics of the State.
Eba disclosed this at the APC State Secretariat in Calabar, while formally reacting to the March 18 gubernatorial and house of assembly elections in the State.
He said the elections have united the State across various divides and further placed it on a pathway for growth and development.
“The elections were a referendum that ethnicity does not have a place in our politics and that was the reflection of the results.
“The results, to us, was a consensus reached by Cross Riverians to show that the initial tension, which was along the lines of the Efiks, Ejaghams, Quas and whatever, did not have any place in our politics.
“It also was a clear demonstration to our people not to play politics of religious divide or that of indigenes and non-indigenes.
“The 18th Of March also brought us again, as people that are united under the canopy and umbrella of peace, love and unity and we are sure that Cross River State shall grow,” he said.
He added that the incoming administration will be magnanimous in victory and will extend a hand of fellowship to other political parties.
He said this is in line with the message of the Governor-elect, and the aim is to recruit the best for the State and take it to the next level.
“Our dear brothers on the other divide should hearken to the message of our Governor-elect and we want to align totally with his message.
“It is going to be an all-inclusive government where people from the Labour Party, PDP, and other parties will be brought in and the best among whom will be recruited to take the State to the next level.
“We will be magnanimous in victory and share the bounty with everybody and every Cross Riverian including non-indigene residents here will have a place in the incoming government,” he said.
On zoning, he said it has come to stay in the State and the party will sponsor a bill to legitimize this in the incoming administration.
He said, “The zoning principle, which today, Cross Riverians have endorsed, should remain an abiding faith in us.
“We shall move a motion and ensure that the eight years that are guaranteed for each Senatorial District will never again be obstructed or truncated.
“We will frame a bill that will make it actionable or criminally liable if any party or Cross Riverian from any Senatorial District decides to run against the zoning principle because this is what the State has come to endorse.”
On elections, especially where the party lost in the State, Eba said, “Wherever we are convinced that there were cases of overvoting as the preliminary report has shown, we will want to test that at the tribunal.
“But, wherever we are sure we were defeated, we will not waste our energy on embarking on any journey of vain expectations,” he said.
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.
