Bassey’s comments are coming on the heels of the just concluded primaries of the PDP in CRS where most commentators have carpeted the process for being bent in favour of a few individuals considered out of touch with the people.
He continues; “the people of Calabar and its environs are very unhappy with the state of things and will not fold their hands and watch this injustice take place. I must say that having spoken to people and consulted extensively, a lot of people are urging these popular candidates to jump ship, go to other parties and contest the elections, we will stand by them when they do that”.
Asked why any government will insist on imposing candidates on the people, Bassey, whose father, the Late Etubom Bassey Ekpo Bassey Snr, vehemently stood against issues like this, maintains “…it is all politics and the culture of political patronage being painfully run in this country. You see, elected officials leaving office usually want to put in trusted loyalists to protect cover for them and their investments”. Again he blames these impositions on the absence of opposition parties which he describes as “not healthy. When a government is going too far and taking decisions that are not in the interest of the people, the opposition should provide us with an alternative to show government that the people cannot be taken for granted. When we vote then, people must stand by and watch these votes counted and make sure that the interests of the people’s candidates are protected…it is the only way we can have true democracy in this state”.
