LG Election: APC Stakeholders Decry Moves To Ethnicise Chairmanship Position of Calabar Municipality
All Progressive Congress (APC) stakeholders have decried moves by some person's to ethnicise the chairmanship position in Calabar Municipality ahead of the local government elections.
The stakeholders including Effiom Etim Effiom and Emmanuel Okang Assim in a statement said it is high time aspirants amd otjer interested party members campaigned on merit and on what they can offer the people in terms of leadership rather than engaging in politics of mudslinging and diatribe.
The statement issued September 3, 2024 read in part: "The chairmanship position in Calabar Municipality is generating tension and all sorts of historical analysis. In the last couple of days, the Social Media have been awash with who gets what, how and why with regard to the pending local government elections.
"While a few write ups have shown some high level of respects and objectivity for all the segments that make up the Municipality, a few have depicted high level of desperation and falsehood intended to curry favour for their clan, surrogates and their inordinate ambition.
"The case in point is the article written by one Edim Oyo Bassey Etim Ikang Eta II, from Akim Qua Clan/Ward 1.
The writer claimed to be a true descendant of Ikang Eta the founder of Akim Qua Clan and according to him has said "the raw truth with regard to zoning and the need to consider the Big Qua Clan/Ward for the position of the forthcoming chairmanship of Calabar Municipality.
"According to Edim Oyo Bassey Etim Ikang Eta II, from 1999 till date Big Qua Clan/Ward have not had any elected officials either as Chairman/House of Assembly and Federal House of Representatives. And so it remains nill and should be considered now by the power that be."
Explaining further, the duo said: " However, we wish to say that wards 1,2,3 and 4 are all Ejagham wards and have dominated all political appointments since 1999. It should be on record that for over 40 years, the Ejagham have dominated the politics of Calabar Municipality.
Only ward 5 is predominantly Efik and have been sidelined over the years. "It should also be on record that before 1999, great sons of ward 4,where the writer claims he comes from, have been council chairmen in the person of Ntufam Ekpo Okang Ekpo and Joseph Okang. The same ward 4 in zone 1 has equally produced a Senator in the person of Oqua Nsa Eno. Are these men not from zone 1? Are they not Qua sons? So why the hue and cry?
"It has become part of political gambling that once one has no capacity to compete in an open election, such an aspirant or candidate resorts to ethnicity as his last hope to clinching to power. And that is what this writer has engaged in. But we will not allow it because what is good for the geese is als good for gander.
"But we make bold to say that since the zoning arrangements favours Zone ONE including from wards 1-5, all aspirants whether Qua or Efik should endeavour to campaign fairly and squarely leaving the electorate or party members, as the case maybe, to decide who governs them this time around.
Advising the statement said: "Those championing ethnic politics should know that Calabar Municipality is a metropolitan city that has a great per centage of non-indigenes who also have a stake during general election as depicted in the last general elections.
"So, we must chose a candidate that will be generally accepted, has capacity and responsible and in tune with Governor Bassey Otu's agenda for Calabar Municipality considering the fact that HE has been a representative for the Municipality both at Lower and Upper Chambers of National Assembly.
"In other words, HE Otu has a big say in who emerges as Council chairmanship candidate and he has advised we all play according to the rules rather than engaging in politics of QUAS and EFIK.
"We, therefore, call on all those in the race to sell their candidature, tell us what they can offer and how they want to go about it. "It is trite to preach Efik and Qua
