2023: COMPETENCE, NOT ZONING SHOULD DETERMINE NEXT CROSS River GOV. PDP CHIEFTAIN.

A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State, Ambassador Ojong Agbor, has said consideration for the next governor of the State should be competence, not zoning, noting that his preferred candidate for the governorship is from Central Senatorial district.

Ambassador Agbor, who reiterated his support for the Senator Sandy Onor, representing Cross River Central, said he was convinced that “with his experience in governance, Senator Sandy Onor will provide the much needed purposeful and developmental leadership for Cross Riverians.”

The PDP chieftain, who is popularly called Cabal Chairman, noted that those trying to use the zoning card must be reminded that there was no time contest for the governorship in Cross River was restricted to one senatorial district.

He said “in 1999 Donald Duke, who’s from the South contested against late Mr. Mark Ukpo of the All Peoples Party (APP) from the North. The same happened in 2003 and 2007 when Senator Liyel Imoke from central defeated oppositions from north and south to emerge governor.”

Agbor contended that since PDP was not in power in Cross River State, the political field must be left open for competent people who are capable of wrestling power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to contest.

The PDP chieftain, who said Senator Onor is well prepared to return Cross River State to the PDP, described zoning as defeatist argument always canvassed by those desirous of shutting out from a contest, people that they know can defeat them.

While faulting those canvassing for the governorship to be zoned to the South, Agbor said “assuming but not conceding that zoning should be applied over and above competence, hasn’t the governorship gone round the three senatorial zones?

“And since the three senatorial zones in the state have produced the governor; the most reasonable argument is that the next governor can come from any of the zones, excluding the North where the incumbent, Governor Ben Ayade, who will vacate office in 2023 hails from. By so doing, the zoning arrangement can begin from the zone that produces the governor in 2023.”