Our Correspondent|26 September 2018
Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Cross River State have warned the leadership of the party against fielding the Senator representing the Central Senatorial District of the state, John Owan Enoh as it governorship candidate in 2019 NEGROIDHAVEN has garnered.
The stakeholders under the aegis of Northern Cross River APC Solidarity Forum (NCRSF) in a statement issued by its spokesman, Joseph Ogah said that Owan Enoh is not different from the Senate President, Dr. Bokula Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogora who only used APC to fulfill their "selfish ambition" and dumped the party afterwards.
The release was in reaction to media reports crediting the National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as saying the party won't field people like Saraki and Dogora again.
The group alleged that Owan Enoh has been holding secret meeting with the national leader of PDP in Cross River State, former Governor Liyel Imoke to strategize on how to use the party to fulfill their selfish interest after which he will return to PDP.
Oshiomhole was advised in the statement to ensure that a member of the party with genuine aspiration is presented as the governorship candidate of the party against the backdrop of the rumour that the ticket has already been handed to the highest bidder.
"We want to call on the national leadership of our great party to beware of PDP members in APC. Sen. Owan Enoh is only in APC to work for Imoke who sees himself as the emperor of Cross River State.
"Owan Enoh is worst than Saraki and Dogora that Oshiomhole has been talking about. We know he can't even win governorship election for the party but from the evidences we have, he has been meeting secretly with Imoke and Tambuwal to plan his return to PDP after 2019 elections if miracle happens that he eventually wins. He was part of all the nPDP meeting but only opted against returning to PDP because he was not assured the governorship ticket.
"Owan has never been a reliable politician. There's no single person apart from Imoke that he was worked with for more than five years. Even from Etung where he comes from, you can't mention even one politician of note that's supporting him.
"So, our message to APC stakeholders especially the National Chairman is that he should be honest in his promise that we won't allow people like Saraki and Dogora use us again. Fielding Owan Enoh in 2019 would be PDP against PDP because whether or not he wins, he'll return to PDP", the statement reads in part.
The group, while reacting to the recent endorsement of the Senator by Nigeria Ambassador to Uganda, Etubom Asuquo said that the Ambassador was only supporting his PDP brother in APC.
"We read in the media that Ambassador Asuquo has endorsed Owan Enoh. This is not strange at all as it has become characteristic of the elder statesman to always endorse the wrong people for elections.
"In 2015, despite the Ambassador's close relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari, Asuquo dumped him for PDP Jonathan. He called Buhari and APC all manner of names but after Jonathan and PDP were rejected by Nigerians, he quickly returned to APC and the President in his usual magnanimous attitude made him an Ambassador in a government he never contributed a single vote to set up. So, we're not bothered that today he is supporting his PDP brother", the statement reads.
On the issues raised recently by the Concerned Southern Senatorial District Stakeholders, the group said that the leadership of the party should handle the agitations by the southern and northern senatorial districts properly "else the south and north will protest against the party by voting PDP. The South shouldn't wait for 20 years for power to return to them when central can't wait for just eight years".
The statement added that "They only reechoed the position we have taken before that the central is already saturated and cannot be given the APC ticket. There's nowhere in Nigeria that the Chairman of a party and it governorship candidate come from the same zone. Owan Enoh and the Chairman are even from the same Etung/Obubra federal constituency. The minister, Pastor Usani Usani is also from the central.
"While we commend the Southern Stakeholders for coming out to speak the truth we want to appeal to them to support the north to complete four years and return power to them in 2023.
One of the major things they raised was that the central has most of the sensitive appointments given to the state. The statement is true but the remaining part of the most is in the South because the north don't have any. So, they should support the north. We will continue to engage them to see to why we need to come together to prevent the central from sabotaging our efforts to win the state".
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