PATRICK ABANG, Calabar –
A Federal lawmaker, Senator Sandy Onor, representing Cross River Central has said zoning had never been practiced in Cross River State since the advent of the current democratic experience .
Senator Onor said as a state, “we cannot afford to sacrifice competence on the altar of zoning, as we prepare to choose a candidate for the governorship or any other election.
According to the senator, those who are promoting and spreading the message of zoning are either cowards who do not have what it takes to contest the party’s ticket under a free and fair process, or are ethnic jingoists who are only interested in misleading our people in pursuit of their very personal and selfish interests”
Addressing journalists on Monday at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Center in Calabar, the lawmaker said nobody or group of persons should divide the state and its people in the name of zoning.
“We arepeople who share commonalities with deep historical roots and it would be thoroughly unfair for anybody to fan the embers of geo-ethnicity, just to satisfy their selfish ambition”
Onor further disclosed that between December 14 and 22 last year, I undertook a state-wide consultation to inform leaders and critical stakeholders of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of my intention to lead the movement towards the rebirth of our state”.
“As you are aware, I have already declared my intention to contest the 2023 governorship election. In all the local government Areas we visited, I announced to our party men and women that I was willing and ready, through the support of our people and the grace of God, to make myself available as the party’s flagbearer for election as Governor of our state, from May 2023”
“From Obanliku to Bakassi, my team and I met and interacted with stakeholders of the PDP. The consultation, however, metamorphosed into a carnival of some sort in many of the local government Areas that we visited. Wherever we went, there was excitement and palpable desire for the birth of the new Cross River State of our dream”
He said, if giving the party ticket and voted as governor, he will take deliberate steps to restore the tourism glories of the state and will pay specific attention to ecotourism, which of course, is unique to Cross River.
“The local government system will be resurrected and its full autonomy restored. Our people depend on this tier of government for survival. I have been a local government chairman and had also served as chairman of the local government service commission. Under my watch, the dry bone called local government system in our state will live again”
“I will pay attention to our civil service system. Once upon a time, we used to have a vibrant civil service. We will get the civil service back to the path of growth and both active civil servants and retirees will feel it”
” In the course of the consultative visits, leaders of our party were united in their resolution that the contest is open for anybody who thinks he has what it takes to contest, no matter what part of the state the person comes from. The leaders were firm on this, as reflected in the communiqué they issued”
“As Governor, I promise on my honour, to do only those things that will make Cross Riverians happy again. Cross River people, especially our youths and women, will make a living through dint of hardwork and will be encouraged to compete with their counterparts in all parts of the world. Luckily, our state is richly endowed with various natural resources”
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