By Magnus Effiong
Governor Bassey Otu, Speaker of the Cross River House of Assembly and many others have lauded President Bola Tinubu over the reversal of the initial appointment of a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, into the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
They also appealed to the President and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the national level to return to the State the slot for the national women leader of the party which was previously occupied by a Cross Riverian, Dr Betta Edu, before she was appointed Minister for Humanitarian Affairs.
Speaking, weekend, shortly after Tinubu redressed the earlier NDDC nomination, Governor Bassey Otu said “I wish to graciously thank Mr. President for acting timely and decisively in correcting what I believe was not a deliberate anomaly in the nomination of a non-member of our great party, the APC, into the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
“The swiftness in which the matter that has agitated millions of our party faithful not just in Cross River State, but across the country, demonstrates that we have a listening president, one who is prepared to respond to the yearning and aspirations of not just APC members, but Nigerians in general,” Governor Otu said, and hoped that the issue of the women leader would also be redressed.
Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Elvis Ayanbem, while receiving a mammoth crowd of Cross River people who visited him to celebrate the reversal of the NDDC appointment, said the president acted swiftly to the delight of all Cross Riverians.
“The issue of Women Leader is still pending, and while we commend our President for acting decisively over the NDDC matter, like Oliver Twist of old, we are appealing that the slot be returned to Cross River state in the spirit of fairness and justice since it was zoned to us as the only APC State in the South South. It is our slot legitimately,” he stated.
In his remarks on the issue, Chief of Staff, Mr Emmanuel Ironbar, said the Women Leader slot was dear to the State “we know our president is a man of justice and fairness. We believe that just as he has graciously reversed the NDDC matter, the issue of the Women Leader slot will also be handled in our favour.”
Also speaking, Special Adviser to Governor Otu on General Duties, Barr Ekpenyong Akiba, noted that Cross Riverians have vowed to support the APC government at the national level as such the party and the Presidency should encourage the people by tackling frontally any issue that concerns the State.
