C’River: Guber/State Assembly Poll Peaceful, Otu Promises To Run All Inclusive Govt

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By; VITALIS UGOH, Calabar

The Gubernatorial/state Assembly election was peaceful across the the 18 local government areas of Cross River State with massive turn out by voters against the prediction of many political analysts.

Electoral materials arrived most polling units as early as 9.00am, while accreditation and voting commenced few minutes later than 9.30am.

There were not many issues of BVAS rejection of voters card except in few polling units.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials were more careful this time around, as per the manner at which they attended to eligible voters.

Casting his vote at the Adiabo Okrikan Ward in Odukpani local government area, the gubernatorial candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Prince Bassey Otu, said, “I am so happy to have you here in my country home. Voting here started exactly on time and there were not too many issues. Everything is just going on smoothly.”

He appealed to Cross Riverians to go and cast their votes because it is good for everyone to participate in this process so that who ever emerges, they will know he is the real winner.

He expressed satisfaction that more voters have come out actually to vote than the exercise that was done few weeks ago and the only area some people are complaining are especially in Akpabuyo and Bakassi local government areas.

According to him, “the issues we have in Bakassi where Nigerians have been declared refugees in their own country because their land was ceded and handed over to Cameroon illegally. Today, they people are scattered all over and because they are registered in Bakassi, there is need for them to come from their different locations to go and exercise their franchise”.

Unfortunately, “we were told that this people were blocked by the military personnel from coming to cast their votes.. I’ve not got the current situation there but I want to believe they were allowed to go and vote.”

“On the issue of voter apathy, this is caused by internal democracy and party, adding that the incoming Cross River State should I emerge as the winner, internal democracy will be number one to agenda in my political movement where the will of the people will be allowed to prevail.”

He commended the peaceful and orderly manner at which the polls went while condemning the act of violence that took place during the eve of the election.

Otu promised to revisit the Adiabo/Ikoneto road as soon as he gets into office as governor of Cross River State.

He expressed full confidence on the BVAS adding ” if you want to look at the election INEC have been conducting over the years, right from 1999 till date, even at bye election, you’ll see that somehow they will scale up their game. People must not forget where we are coming from and the type of greed that has been injected into the politics.”

Continuing, “the fact that our economy is very bad and people are looking at election probably as the only way out, as a result of that it becomes a total war and at times INEC is at the receiving end. INEC must also be given benefit of doubt to continue to make sure that they perfect all their arrangements.”

“There were issues with the BVAS but I don’t think that those issues should be key issues in giving judgement that BVAS is not working. I want to believe that INEC will continue to scale up with technology and everything to ensure that BVAS will deliver democratic benefits to Nigerians.

I don’t think there’s a lot of challenge with the BVAS this time.

“I went there was no delay.I was captured and the tick came out and I voted so I believe that moving forward they will continue to make sure that things are added that will make it completely fine, he noted”.

Otu said “if I am declared winner, it is a call for greater service. I’m coming to build an all inclusive government. The state has been decieved enough. The problem we are facing is not ethnicity. Anybody can come from anywhere. Why we have the zoning arrangement is just for everybody to be carried along. What we need is unity and love. We have said we will take on board both the PDP and the Labour party. Everybody that is going to give our state value and we are going to build a stakeholder kind of state where both the old, the middle class, the rich, the poor are part of that society.”

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