Political sources within Cross River State have pointed calitown.com to the fact that “as was predicted before Gov. Imoke even handed the Northern Senatorial District the governorship in 2015, the North has been unable to close ranks and get behind a candidate for governor in 2015”.
This observation calitown.com can reveal is not unconnected with the silent political storms brewing in the North. Visibly, Abuja based Goddy Agba’s political wheels are cranking to life with a series of political gatherings, initiated at his instance, the latest being the just concluded solidarity gathering in Obudu, chaired by Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, through a representative. Agba, one source says is “too rich and nationally connected and may be too high horsed to deal with the average Cross Riverian”. It is an assertion one of his supporters say is “unfounded, even malicious”.
But again, the political body language of the Secretary, National Planning Commission, Fidelis Utabeki Ugbo, “is convincing us that a more experienced man can become governor”, one source informed calitown.com. Over the weekend, sources say a sizable number of Imoke’s EXCO were at the airport to see off Ugbo, fuelling speculative suggestions that Imoke may have pitched tents with the former Secretary to the State Government, Ugbo.
On the Cross River Coalition For Change platform on Facebook, a post or two are in place ‘campaigning’ for the candidature of Francis Agantem Eworo, a Catholic priest with “negligible political experience”, as one source described him. The argument for Eworo is hinged on the assertion that as a “man of God, he will govern with the fear of God”. Eworo, we hear has jokingly confided in a few close individuals that he does not have the financial muscle to mount a challenge for governor. “That is not for him to say, we will decide that”, on conditions of anonymity, a source said.
In the face of all, calitown.com was told that, “the dark horse factor cannot be ignored”. It is a veiled reference to the fact that there are a few candidates who may emerge out of the blues and upset what may be deemed to be on the ground. “Consider that beyond Imoke, they are a few hidden players who brought on Donald Duke, Liyel Imoke and will be interested in bringing on someone who unlike most persons already angling to be governor, will be loyal to them and further the development strides this two have made”, a top PDP faithful submitted. The dark horse factor may again not be unconnected with a remark sources ascribe to Liyel Imoke. The sources say, Imoke has whispered to those close to him that the next “governor will come from his Executive Council”. It is what has sent political pundits working and trying to guess from the pool of EXCO members of Northern extraction, who will be anointed to take over from Imoke.
In all of what is playing out, an unhappy source told calitown.com that, “when Imoke ran for governor, the North as a bloc united and got behind Imoke, not one person from here ran against Imoke. Now that the governorship has been thrown to us, why can’t we unite and get behind a candidate? I think too that we should forget all these people from Abuja who are now coming home because they want to be governor. If we can’t see what they have done for their local communities all these years, it just goes to show that there is nothing they can do for CR. Let us just work with the people we see here, especially those who have affected us positively”, he concluded.
As political momentum gathers, the days ahead promise to be any political watcher’s delight.
Hello uguma thanks 4 that report on CR political calculation, manipulations & all the drama,
please the GODDY AGBA is he the same goddy agba frm obodu whose father was major agba? and he was with us in the hand ball team & the man of war.