11 September 2019
The House of Representatives member for Calabar Municipality Odukpani Federal Constituency in Cross River Ntufam Eta Mbora has expressed displeasure with the political class over habitual resort to courts for settling of electoral matters without exhausting amicable options NEGROIDHAVEN can say.
He's therefore canvassing for use of alternative dispute resolution mechanism in electoral disputes to strengthen intra party relations and promote unity in the polity.
The federal lawmaker stated this in Calabar during a media chat while reacting to the Election Tribunal judgment which upheld his election into the green chambers after the Tribunal dismissed the petition filed by Bassey Akiba of All Progressive Congress on ground of incompetence and lack of merit.
He described the court option for trivialities as contained in the petition against him as a mockery of the country's electoral system emanating from personal greed of some politicians.
He opined that politics must be seen as means of delivering communal service tailored toward improving living standard while creating enabling environment for realisation of potentials rather than a divisive tool to truncate age long relationships and fanning tension.
According to him "if the quest for political office is driven by genuine desire to serve one's community, then misgivings arising from such pursuit must be handled internally in view of existing bond of friendship" he enthused.
He lauded the Tribunal for doing justice to the case and lamented that despite several overtures to the petitioner as a friend and product of the same system, the case was still allowed to strive.
Eta Mbora, who is the vice chairman, House committee on housing and habitat stressed that the interest of Cross River must supersede party sentiments and sued for a by partisan approach to drive the developmental initiatives in the state for optimum results and mutual benefits.
He stated his resolve to embrace and team up with his opponents in the spirit of true sportsmanship in order to foster unity and cordiality amongst his constituents.
The seasoned politician who has been a member of the state house of assembly and two term Mayor of Calabar said with the Tribunal distraction finally over, he will concentrate his focus on his primary assignment and work assiduously to ensure completion of all on going intervention projects he attracted to his constituency and the annual strategic empowerment programme targeted at job creation and self reliance.
The projects estimated at over two billion naira include the four kilometers Akim Akim road terminating at the river,rural electrification scheme at Okut Ikang,another four kilometers road network at Obot Okor to enhance evacuation of farm produces and the Ikoneto erosion embankment also in Odukpani to curtail land slide
Others are Akim ring road network of over five kilometers,Nasarawa Health Center and several solar powered boreholes across the federal constituency.
In his reaction, the Director General Eta Mbora Campaign Organization Mr Oqua Edet Oqua expressed appreciation to God for exonerating PDP from the squabbles of the opposition and thank party faithfuls for unrelenting support.
