Andy Esiet, Calabar
A former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State has said that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state will work hard to ensure that PDP does not win the governorship election come March 2023.
Former Commissioner for Lands in the state and former Managing Director of Tinapa Business Resort, Arch. Bassey Ndem in an interview with some newsmen in Calabar yesterday said that it would be gross injustice for PDP to return to power in the state.
Ndem who left PDP last year for APC said allowing PDP to win will deny those in th Southern Senatorial District access to power for several more years.
He said “PDP was wrong to have decided to zone power to Cross River Central thereby denying the southern District opportunity to access power whereas it is their rightful turn. We will do everything legally and electorally possible to discourage voters from voting for their governorship candidate. We will block them.
“I believe much in merit. I believe much in rotation. This is why the APC will win the governorship election in March 2023 because they have rightly zoned the governorship to those whose turn it is in the southern District. This is why the people are happy and ready to vote massively for their son, Prince Bassey Otu” .
Ndem, a traditional title holder in the Efik Kingdom further explained why he refused to defect from APC to Labour Party as rumoured to pursue his governorship ambition after failing to get the APC ticket.
He said he had to ponder over such decision deeply, saying if he had done that in order to run for governorship on the ticket of LP, he would have slashed the votes for other southern guber candidate thereby reducing the chance to win.
“It was for this reason that I had to invite other governorship aspirants from the southern District in both APC and PDP to a meeting, hoping to dissuade them to collapse structures for one candidate from the South as a way of ensuring bloc vote” , he added.
