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| Owan-Enoh clad in white genuflecting before Etubom Bob Duke |
Nyok|8 September 2018
Sequel to the anti-Efik rhetoric credited to a strong contender for the Office of Executive Governor of Cross River State, Sen John Owan-Enoh, an aspirant under the aegis of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and incumbent lawmaker representing Cross River Central at the National Assembly (NASS), the later has said that he never made such a statement NegroidHaven can report authoritatively. Owan-Enoh has further disclosed that even if someone were to be insane, he wouldn’t make such statements.
The gubernatorial hopeful made this remark, Friday, when he paid an august visit to the Palace of the Obong of Calabar in Cross River capital city and met with the traditional ruler of the Efik as well as his Etubom Council.
Owan-Enoh who said that sequel to his Wednesday 5th September official declaration for governorship in Ikom, his first port of call would be the Palace of the Obong of Calabar for consultation in respect of his bid. The politician labeled the anti-Efik rhetoric as wicked politics saying that he actually needs the votes of the Efik without which he can’t be governor.
His exact words, ‘It’s a season of politics, I am sure if my declaration for the governorship had taken place in Calabar, I am sure the first thing I would have done, would have been to do exactly what I am doing now. But haven done it in Ikom, the first place I had to come to necessarily was here, before anywhere else and —this is not politics, this is what it should be.
‘There’s been a lot since after stepping out to run, the more a lot goes on the more I find out that I think we have an excellent bid for the Office of Governor.
‘So, I present myself before you that on Wednesday the 5th of September in Ikom I formally presented myself before party men and women and other Cross Riverians that are very concerned.
‘There may be no other election year that there is going to find Cross Riverians as concerned as this election year, never before in our history as a state since we were created in 1967 would the outcome of a governorship election for Cross River matter the way this would matter. Never before! So, the 2019 election is an important election year, if no where else, in Cross River. And I am not the one who is going to stand here to tell you why it would be so, you know why it is so and why it would be so.
‘Quite ordinarily I would have waited to become candidate before and therefore care to come after that.
‘Incidentally, another factor that has made it very inevitable and imperative that I come is that because of the seriousness of my bid, I think that there’s a lot of threat perhaps to the extent that some people have started playing very wicked politics!
‘I mean, when a few days ago my attention was called to a certain wicked publication that associated my name… But, if there’s anything that is negative, it goes very far, very deep.
‘Even if someone is insane, I repeat, even if someone is insane and is running for an office to govern an entire state, even if I were insane I would not say so, in this case I am not insane. In this case I am not insane.
‘On my way here, some people called and said I shouldn’t even make it a matter because the more you make it a matter, the more it stays in the news, but, I said no, that this matter is serious enough for me to make it a matter. And that is why I speak about it.
‘And if I granted an interview somewhere in which I said anything close to mentioning Efik, then I would say that, maybe somebody misunderstood me. But, I never even organised an interview anywhere, I have never addressed the matter anywhere, the matter never came up anywhere. Ok, what did the Efik do to me? What!? In my campaigns already I have Efiks.
‘So, how? And I can now understand that this administration appreciates how badly it has done. And there is no part of this state that is not affected by the bad governance and the misrule.
‘When you are given an opportunity to govern a people, you have the best platform to do well for those people. When you are not able to do and an election year comes in and you find someone who wants to contest and you find out that this guy is going to beat you, what you resort to doing is this kind of nonsense and negative campaign.
‘My hope is that I am going to be able to lay this to rest completely… I never came close to it, it has never come up, so, as I run for the governorship of Cross River, I need every vote. Every vote will count. I have been around for a long time, so, I cannot be seeking office of governor and say that a particular race as preeminent as yours is —that I don’t need you. In fact, to say the opposite, I need you to be governor of Cross River.’
The Natural Ruler, Treaty King and Obong of Calabar, Ndidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu V while responding to the presentation by Owan-Enoh said that he gave keen attention to his speech and is impressed by it. He disclosed that the traditional stool has been hearing this type of derogatory remarks by politicians before now. He charged the aspirant to ignore such propagandist remarks and concentrate on his campaigns.
The Obong of Calabar who was represented by the Chairman of the Etubom Traditional Rulers Council, Etubom Bob Duke said that, ‘I have heard you very well and appreciate what you have said today. We have been hearing this type of things before.
‘Forget what any other person has said whether he is Efik or not. Think seriously about Cross River State. Think about what you want to do for the state. Take it easy with whosoever who wanted to tarnish your image. Be ready to do what you say you want to do and do it well. We pray for you.’
Nyok
Is the Blogger-in-Chief, Editor-in-Chief & Publisher of NegroidHaven
