Rep Aspirant Ogar Hails APC on Successful 2026 National Convention, Says Otu's Administration Uniting C'Riverians
By Bassey BASSEY
The Managing Director of Goldstar Hotel and Resort, Calabar, Comrade Opinch Amba Ogar, has congratulated the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on the successful conduct of its 8th National Convention held in Abuja at the weekend, describing it as a new model of internalising democracy.
Ogar, who has declared his intention to run for the House of Representatives for the Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency, also congratulated Engr. Ben Akak on his emergence as the Deputy Treasurer of the party, just as he hailed Governor Bassey Otu on the role he played in Akak's emergence.
The former Chairman of the Cocoa Allocation Committee and the Etung-born cocoa merchant, in an exclusive interview with THE BEAGLE NEWS at the weekend, said what transpired in Abuja is a demonstration of Governor Otu's commitment to bringing everybody on board and ensuring that Cross River State gets its due subsequently in national politics.
According to him, the governor has done extremely well in terms of carrying everybody along to reduce rancour and acrimony ahead of 2027, and therefore deserves total support and endorsement from all and sundry.
On his readiness for the party primary, Ogar said:
"Now that we have finished the national convention, all eyes have shifted to party primaries, and I am working round the clock to clinch the ticket because I will deliver if given the mandate.
"I have rounded off my consultations and I have resigned according to the directive of the governor, and that is to tell you I am not joking. It is the turn of Etung people to produce the next Rep member. Our brothers from Obubra have been there since 2015, and they should allow Etung to go in 2027 because we share it between Obubra and Etung.
"Zoning is part of our political culture and it should be encouraged so that equity, justice and fair play can thrive," explaining that "the move to run for the Obubra/Etung federal seat is because of the passion for human beings and for the people.
“I want to serve my people; thus my intention. And by me serving my people, they have to give me that thing on trust. Leadership is not a position; it's a call to service. For me, since 2015, I've been doing empowerment. I'm not doing empowerment because I want to run for election. No. I've been doing empowerment since 2015. In my locality, in my local government, in my village, in my community, in my church, I used to do empowerment.
"I have commenced consultations across the federal constituency. Politics is all about consultation. It's all about engagement with your constituents. Everything about politics is local. There is no way you will not go close to your people.
"There is no way you abandon your constituents, your leaders, and you say you want to go and get a ticket. No! Even though you have connections with His Excellency, and with political appointees, you must engage with your constituents and your leadership.
“If I win the Obubra/Etung federal constituency, I will continue the engagement with my constituents, organise town hall meetings so that the people will tell me their problems. Even as a lawmaker, if you don't know the problems of your people, there is no way you can make laws in the House of Representatives.
“For your information, I have not been into secular politics. Yes, I've been into community politics. I was the PRO of the youth wing in my community about twenty years ago. Presently, I am the chairman of Bende people that live in Ikom. I didn't contest for it. They said because you have capacity, you are humble, the way you live with people, you have passion for people, take it.
"My community is the biggest community in Etung Local Government. Yes, it's even the biggest community in Ikom. When you combine Ikom, Boki and Etung, it's the biggest community. So I'm the chairman, I'm the president of Bendekom people that live in Ikom," Ogar stated.
THE BEAGLE NEWS
