Mr. Orok Duke, a former Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly and current chairman of the Cross River state sports commission has taken a lash at a gubernatorial aspirant and current senator, representing Central Senatorial district senator, Owan Enoh for justifying his Governorship ambition with ethnic sentiments.
According
to the renowned orator and author, He was pushed to react to a press released
specifically signed by the senator due to certain intrinsic snares that worries
him about the senator’s press release as regards his declaration to contest for
the governorship stool of the state.
Duke's
Statement reads in full:
Re:
Declaration for Governorship of our Dear State (in APC) by Senator John Owan
Enoh: The dangers of the Ethnic Dimension
By
Orok Otu Duke
After
going through a Press Release with the above-mentioned title, personally signed
by Senator John Owan Enoh, dated 1st September 2018, I wish to react to certain
intrinsic snares that I have noticed in the distinguished Senator’s Notice and
seek to express my worry accordingly.
We
have come a long way in this state, from the burial of our ethnocentric ghosts
past (Atam Congress
and other ethnocentric bigots and jingoists), to the accommodation of new and
progressive tendencies towards building a new and egalitarian Cross River State
(Clement Ebri, Donald Duke, Liyel Imoke, Ben Ayade..). We should never return
again to Egypt, please.
My
discomfiture with the September 1, Press Release by Senator John Owan Enoh
concerns the use of ‘’Ejagham’’ as an innuendo to situate and justify his
Governorship ambition. This would not only offend me as an Efik son but other
ethnic groups in Cross River State (Bekwarras, Bahumno, Yala,Ukele, Betes,
Efiks, Mbembes, Mbube, Okoyong). Other aspirants for CRS Governor in APC have
not played the ethnic card or played up other divisive demeanour,
which is commendable. The Northern Senatorial Zone should be allowed to
complete its second term what is good for the goose, is good for the gander:
methinks.
When
Enoh was voted in by the APP Legislators in 1999 as a Minority Leader in CRHA,
no ‘’Ejagham card’’ was played up; same with the House of Representation and
Senate, no one ever considered that the ‘’Mbembes’’ were more
than the Etung people, but they supported Enoh, unequivocally. Therefore, the
introduction of ethnocentrism into our body polity, again, is worrisome and
should be jettisoned forthwith. Let us avoid the Pandora’s Box.
While
acknowledging that it is within the rights of APC to skew their political
offices as they deem fit and Senator John Owan Enoh to contest for any position
that he is eligible, clarity and lucidity should be sought and gotten over
Senator Enoh’s presumed play-up of the ethnic card.
No,
it is not like his altruistic self. No. So what happened? What is going on?
‘’May he live in interesting times.’’
Apocryphal
as that may be, this is the way the cookie crumbles.
Orok
Otu Duke
Duke
Town
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