Arthur Jarvis Only Seeking Governorship Toga, Not Ready to Govern — Dr. Bobby Ekpenyong
By Missang Akpet
The Director-General of Neighbour2Neighbour Grassroots Network, Dr. Bobby Ekpenyong, has described the factional governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sir Arthur Jarvis, as a politician seeking relevance rather than someone genuinely prepared to govern Cross River State.
Ekpenyong, who spoke in reaction to Jarvis’s recent comments on Governor Bassey Edet Otu and his administration, said Jarvis was merely seeking to wear the toga of a governorship candidate without possessing the experience, competence and political pedigree required to lead the state.
“Arthur Jarvis is only seeking to bear the toga of a governorship candidate, not that he wants to be a governor, because he is not fit. He doesn’t have what it takes to lead Cross River State at this critical time of our state’s life,” he said.
According to him, Jarvis’s public utterances had continued to expose what he described as his inexperience and inadequacies in the business of politics and governance.
“He has never served in any capacity. All the previous governors, the past governors, have had one experience or the other, and that prepared them,” Ekpenyong said.
He maintained that governing a state required more than ownership of a private university or claims of business success, stressing that political and administrative experience were necessary for effective leadership.
Ekpenyong challenged Jarvis to first acquire grassroots political experience and demonstrate his capacity to serve before aspiring to govern the state.
“If my brother, Arthur Jarvis, can humble himself and go to where he comes from and actually try and be a councillor first, or allow the people to give him a chance to be a local government chairman, or go to the House of Assembly, that may give him a platform to learn the rudiments of politics and that of the office of a governor,” he said.
The Neighbour2Neighbour DG further argued that Governor Otu’s record in office had demonstrated the experience and leadership capacity required to steer the affairs of Cross River State.
He cited the administration’s interventions in infrastructure, agriculture, investment, workers’ welfare and security as evidence of its performance.
Ekpenyong urged Cross Riverians not to be swayed by what he described as political antics, insisting that the state could not afford to gamble with its leadership at a critical period of its development.
