2019: the Old Obubra/Old Ikom logic is fraudulent, obsolete, selfish —Sandy Onor

‘But seriously speaking, the ingredients that made old Obubra, Old Ikom an issue, are no more: Old Ikom meant one Federal Constituency, Old Ikom meant one Federal Constituency —Ikom Federal Constituency, Obubra Federal Constituency. These two pillars made up the Central Senatorial Zone at that time. Today, there are three federal constituencies making up the Central: Obubra/Etung, Boki/Ikom, Yakurr/Abi. So, the basis for Senatorial sharing now has shifted from two federal constituencies to three. 

‘Accordingly, when John Owan-Enoh became Senator last time, it was based on that argument. And the leadership emphasised that argument seriously. They said look, Ikom/Boki had done sixteen years in the Senate: Victor Ndoma-Egba twelve years from Ikom, Matthew Mbu four years from Boki. Obubra/Etung had not done anything, so the Senate should be domiciled there. This Obubra they are talking about today, shares an intimate political destiny with Etung, it’s now Obubra/Etung. We are now a federal constituency. So, to even use the concept of Old Obubra is a huge fraud because Obubra is no longer there at all, as far as the geography of politics in the central is concerned, it has no relationship anymore with Yakurr and Abi. 

‘But, beyond this, and it’s important you get this argument clearly: if there is any federal constituency that has benefited far more than others in the politics of Central Senatorial District, it is Yakurr/Abi: Chief Clement Ebri was governor for two years, Liyel Imoke became governor for eight years —ten years! If you subject this ten years to the principle of evidence being weighed and not counted, you will agree with me that ten years of governorship is more than Senate of sixty years.  

‘Again, beyond that, if we kook at the appointments that have come to the Central, take the ministerial, from Liyel Imoke’s father in the Eastern Region, to Okoi Arikpo, Okoi Obuli, Liyel Imoke himself, Usani Usani, except for M. T. Mbu, all these ministerial appointments have come to Yakurr/Abi! Somebody said to me, but, they are not elected offices; yes, they are called political appointments. 

‘In any case, let me announce, there has never been zoning in the politics of the Central; if there were zoning Liyel Imoke wouldn’t have been Senator, Imoke became Senator with Clement Ebri as a seating Governor. See Mkpani, see Itigidi. Why would people somersault on issues that are very obvious, Why? If there were zoning, John Enoh would not be Senator; if there were zoning Bassey Ewa would not have gone back to the House of Representatives for the third time, because by the time Bassey was going, Yakurr had done sixteen years and Abi had done nothing.

‘So the point I am making is that people use arguments from time to time to advance their personal interests while pretending to be altruistic. And if you are intellectually deficient, you will not be able to arrest the selfishness they are invoking in those argument. We know too much, that is why there are afraid. 

‘Finally, the way Cross River is now… Cross River is in a position where we need the best in Abuja: the Bakassi crisis came with a shortage in our revenue profile —a decline. We need men who can go to Abuja and by the sheer strength of their character, their intellectual depth, their charisma… They have a presence that can attract a lot to Cross River, you don’t need men who would go there and just be a statistic: who will not impact on the Floor, who would not be available on the outside, you need proper men; and in all humility, Cross Riverians know the proper men, and the original Caterpillar movement is putting forward one of the best men you could ever think of.’