The most reasonable thing to do now in Cross River State is for the baton of leadership to shift from Central to Northern Senatorial District if the desired and most yearned balance must be achieved.
Failure to do this would portray the people of Cross River State as not being focused and people who do not believe in the oneness they have always preached.
But I doubt this strongly because we are about the most liberal, peaceful and enlightened people in Nigeria.
Already, the Governor and Leader of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke (CON), has already declared and affirmed this in public fora the first being at a Town Hall meeting convened on the grounds of Ogoja Local Government Council about three years ago.
The second time was at a parley with bureau chiefs of media houses at the Transcorp Hotel (former Metropolitan Hotel) in Calabar about a year ago.
Quite strategic, you may say, given the sessions where Imoke made the declaration. First was to the people of the Northern Senatorial District and the second time was while discussing at a round table with the media at a news conference . To say the least the Governor is not joking and has never treated with levity his public statements.
Quite commendable, Cross River North is up to the bidding because the agitations are on and in the air already, the gladiators are already consulting, the godfathers have commenced the oscillation of the pendulum and it is swinging already but no one knows where and when it will swing to a halt except God the Alpha and Omega.
Unlike the Donald Duke days, where by now the permutations were rife on who will be or will not be, Liyel Imoke I must say is a more skillful player of the political game. He has only said he will relinquish power to Cross River North but to who till this moment remains a mystery because no one, even his closest aide can say exactly whose direction he is heading for from the long list of intending and possible aspirants to the exalted office of Governor but must we wait for him to decide for us?
Let us not forget too soon that Mr. Donald Duke did not decide for Cross Riverians at the time. Many aspirants indicated interests to be Governor of Cross River State under the PDP platform, as it were, but clearly the most qualified then, by all consideration, judging from consultation made, was arguably the incumbent Governor Liyel Imoke. Would be aspirants or already declared aspirants in the current dispensation can they upturn the feat attained by Imoke then. Looking at things, can we give Imoke cause to choose from among them or we will give him cause to choose a neutral fellow outside the list which, from fillers, is increasing by the day.
One of my worry is, when the next Governor whether from ID, PDM, APC, APGA, PDP, PPA, etc eventually emerges from the North, I am definitely sure he will be presiding over the entire Cross River State. Yes would be the answer without a single No but I reason strongly that some persons are getting it wrong because their actions and permutation suggest that it is Northern Cross River affair whereas this is not true. It is “Our” affair not “Their” affair please. If you share this thought with me, let us together call such persons or groups to order.
I commend the position of the Cross River Northern Elders Consultative forum which is a very strong and strategic voice in the effort to attain this vision that is on a mission. The consultative forum is on track already but depending on which lane it is running on the track in this race, it should be more virile and proactive in driving home the message because the Forum may be focused in this race to actualise a vision that is on a mission but if they don’t hold firm, the vision becomes de-focused.
Where are the drivers of this vision for the actualisation of Governor Imoke’s open and popular declaration to hand over power to Northern Cross River in the Central and Southern Cross River? If they exist at all, must they be faceless?
That Liyel Imoke and Leader of Cross River State has openly said he will hand the baton over to a successor from Cross River North does not translate to him being the one to drive it; may be for Central and South or for the entire state. Where and who are the drivers of this dream for Cross River Governorship dream in the South and Central? Don’t forget so quickly that Liyel Imoke has a tested political theory which has worked and I must say is being emulated by his associates with the slogan “Monkey Work, Monkey Chop” Please don’t sit on the fence.
We cannot leave the campaign for our northern brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties, fathers, mothers, godfathers, godmothers and in laws alone. It must be a collective concern, we must not be faceless about it, come out strong, it is a worthy cause. If yours truly declare here that I stand for balance and equity, it translates clearly that I support it, I believe in it, and I am up for it with the proviso that we are also properly guided and guarded by our brothers from Northern Cross River.
They must be one in this and not divided. It is just not possible for a single broom stick to sweep. It is single broom sticks tied together as a bundle that sweeps effectively and conveys the whole garbage in one swoop to the trash can. We must not be gagged. We should remain gag less.
I rest my case for now.
Written BY OMINI ODEN
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