Why APC stakeholders in Cross River rejected Owan Enoh and Usani’s governorship bid

All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State have raised an alarm over the crisis dogging the party in the state.

In a communique signed by 37 members from the seven local government areas of the Southern Senatorial District of the State namely: Calabar South, Calabar Municipal, Odukpani, Akamkpa, Akpabuyo, Bakassi and Biase, the stakeholders said, “APC is in Dilemma”.

In the document made available to the Media on Friday, the people claimed that the crisis in the party is caused by people from the central senatorial district.

“The Minister of Niger Delta, Pastor Usani Usani wants to enthrone Chairman of the party and Senator Owan Enoh wants to enthrone Chairman of the party.

“Both wants to use this Chairman to manipulate their position and emerge as governor of the state. Both are already in Court that is the crisis the party is facing today.

“We don’t want anybody from the central to contest the governorship position; they have benefited enough and more than any other zones in the state in terms of appointments.

“The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs is from the central senatorial district, the incumbent senator is from there, the State Party Chairman, the Chairman of NDDC Board, Special Adviser to the President on Prosecution and Auditor General of the federation are all from there”, they stated.

“No party in Nigeria has ever assigned a Chairman of the party to a particular zone and in that same zone, we have a governorship position. It has never been done so.

“When a party says a Chairman should come from central, another zone takes governorship position. So if the Chairman of the party comes from the central, the central should allow the governorship position to other zones rather than struggling for it.

“We are talking about party sharing the position fairly, fairly in distribution of positions. On zoning, constitutionally, a governor has only four years to hold office but if he performed well, the people can allow him to continue and do another four years.

“When Donald Duke took his first term, he performed creditably well, in fact the people from the north enjoyed him more than those in the south and central and because of that, we asked him to continue for another four years.

“When Liyel Imoke came in, he was performing well too, but at the tail end he derailed, he is the cause of what we are passing through today. If we have given you your chance of four years and you have not performed well, please don’t go to that are again.”

The group of stakeholders pleaded with the national leadership of the APC to streamline what they are doing and not to allow somebody from the central to contest governorship position, saying, “let it go to the south or north.

“We plead with the party to streamline what they are doing and not allow somebody from the central to contest governorship position, let it go to the south or north.

“APC is in dilemma, we are having problem, and we are saying we don’t want anybody from the central to come in for the position of a Governor. If we throw them out of the game, there will be peace in APC,” they opined.