In perhaps his first public remarks on the perceived pressure being mounted on him to handpick the person who will succeed him as governor in 2015, Cross River State governor, Liyel Imoke, has told the state’s Elders Consultative Forum, while hosting them recently, that “it is not the right kind of politics” for people to insist that he anoints a candidate for governor.
Imoke was insistent instead that the “process of producing the governor should be one that all of us own or can lay claim to” pointing to the elders gathered that it would be more rewarding having the people assess the candidates based “on their credentials, capacity and vision” instead of him imposing one on the people.
He however expressed worry about candidates who wanted “to be governor by hook or crook”, questioning the motive behind the ambitions such persons and urged Cross Riverians to support a “collective agenda” which he believes can “sustain this … very challenging environment”.
Calitown.com was told that the governor’s remarks have become neccessary to discourage several political groups in the state and beyond who seem clearly committed to having the many candidates they subtly represent, get the nod of the governor ahead of the 2015 change of baton.
Having publicly narrowed the search for governor to the state’s Northern Senatorial district, which has never produced a governor, calitown.com investigations reveal that there will be a plethora of candidates filing out and gunning for the top job in 2015.
