Goddie A . Akpama.
The fact that the South- South geopolitical region will play a prominent role in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after its inauguration in 2023 cannot be overemphasised.
From the envisaged power equation from 2023 at the national level, the South- South stands a good chance of producing the next Senate President, more so as the position of the President and Vice President, from every indication will go to the Southwest and the Northeast regions respectively.
Cross River State appears most advantageous in not just playing a prominent role in the National Assembly, but in national politics, if its puts forward its best player, Professor Ben Ayade, to represent the Northern Senatorial District in the 10th Senate.
Ayade who is the Governor of Cross River State, and former Senator Representing Cross River North, is the Senatorial Candidate of the APC for the 2023 polls.
It is very very pertinent, and expedient to vote Governor Ayade into the Senate in 2023 because he would be returning to the red chamber as a ranking senator, and possibly the only ranking Senator from the South-South region from the ruling party, APC, which appears certain to retain power at the centre with Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu as President, and Alhaji Shettima as Vice President.
From the advantageous position, Prof. Ayade would easily lunch himself into the race for Senate President on behalf of Cross River State, and win the position not just for himself and Cross River North Senatorial District, but for the entire state.
Aside from the psychological and political prestige Governor Ayade’s emergence as Senate President would bring to Cross River State, from that position he will be able to influence a lot of dividends of democracy to the state; among which are political appointments, employment opportunities for our people in the public and private sectors, appointments into federal boards, etc.
We must not forget that as Senate President, he would have the rarest opportunity and ability to make inputs into the Federal budgets thereby attracting many federal projects to Cross River State.
As the Number 3 man in Nigeria, his office alone would provide for the appointment of at least 250 aides of diverse nomenclatures. Most of these aides, perhaps more than 75 percent, will come from Cross River State, with them earning from fat salaries to above monthly.
That will be serious capital flow into the families of the appointees and the state.
You from the North stands that chance of becoming the highest beneficiaries.
We know how some people were made for life only as aides of a Senator from Cross River State who was just the Senate Leader of the 7th Senate.
Cross River North should avoid the costly mistake of voting an opposition candidate as Senator to represent them in 2023, when they are lucky to have a ranking Senator in the person of His Excellency, Professor Ben Ayade on the ballot.
Cross River North should learn from the 2015 and 2019 mistakes of Cross River Centra where starters were sent to the senate instead of consolidating its advantage with a Senate Leader.
Today the Central is regretting their actions, and wasted 8 years in the Senate.
The Cross River North is lucky to have the bitter lessons of the Central to learn from.
To avoid making a similar mistake, the North should vote for Governor Ben Ayade to the senate because he would be the most ranking Senator from the South- South, and belongs to the ruling party the APC where the Senate President will be elected and inaugurated for the 10th Senate.
Cross River North should vote wisely by voting His Excellency, Governor Ben Ayade, to the Senate in 2023.
