Cross River 2023: No district has the monopoly of competency, Group backs Zoning



Looking at the political calendar, there's still over 800 days left before elections holds in 2023 where a new governor takes over the leadership of the Government House in Cross River State as the constitution doesn't permit governor Ben Ayade to do a third term. 

For some, there's still a lot of time for the politicking of who takes over from Ayade come 2023, while others believe there's no more time and as such the discussion must begin now. As we warm up towards the 2023 election, groups, individuals and political jobbers have begun consultations and permutations as to what Senatorial District should be supported to produce the next Governor of the state. 

The conversation have been trailed with a lot of controversies leaving the state into two halves, one halve are of the opinion that whereas, the three Senatorial District of the state have all produced governors who all did two terms equally, the rotational zoning system of the state should be discontinued and it should be a free for all fight. Whatever zone is strong enough can produce the next Governor, for them this will allow for competency to be at the forefront of the politics. 


While the other halve believe zoning has helped stabilized the politics of the state as well as reduced the level of infighting and violence.

One of such groups who hold that opinion is the Cross River Southern Senatorial District Assembly, CRSSDA  who recently came out strong to stamp their feet in support of the existing gentleman rotational politics in the state. 

Speaking in a radio discussion on Hit95.9 FM, Mr. John Offiong, the Chief of Party of Southern Senatorial District Assembly said even those who are campaigning against the rotational politics of the state know too well that the South is next in line to produce the governor of the State. He said instead of calling for the scrabing of zoning, they should rather encourage the South to produce a credible candidate.

The Chief of Party, further insisted that the just as every Senatorial District, the south also have eminently qualified leaders to be become governor of the state. He said no Senatorial District has the monopoly of credible candidates, as the South isn't ready to compromise competency and credibility on the altar of zoning.


 He observed that scuttling the system now will only lead to anarchy or elitism style of politics where only the strong can attain political office leaving the weak at the mercy of the strong. 

For him, the practice of the egalitarian politics has helped the state reach out to every ward, local government areas zones, etc with the even distribution of power and dividend of democracy.


Speaking further, Offiong disclosed that Cross River Southern Senatorial District Assembly, CRSSDA, is a sociopolitical group but it remains nonpartisan as it doesn't enjoy the backings of any of the existing political parties. Stating that they have a responsibility to first ensure that the South is united to speak with one voice to make a resounding statement towards the projection of the Southern Agenda come 2023.



"This group is not a political group, in the sense that we have no affiliation with any of the existing political parties in the country. Our major goal for now is to unite the people of the Southern Senatorial District, we are a voice of the southern Senatorial District. CRSSDA will not fissile out after elections because it has come to stay as a voice for the development of the South, as long as the Southern Senatorial District remains, this group will continue to exist". He noted. 


Competency and Zoning

"Talking about competency and zoning, we must first understand that no Senatorial District in Cross River State has the monopoly of competent hands, and for us in Southern Senatorial District Assembly we are not ready to sacrifice competency for zoning. We shouldn't forget that as a state zoning has giving us peace, and political stability. Even those against zoning know the truth. They all know the zone where the next Governor will come from. People will always say what benefits them, but we all know the truth, there was a reason for zoning to be entrenched in our micro politics because we foresaw all these kind of things."


"Zoning has giving us a kind of peace in the state, in our minds we all know which district should produce the next Governor so why do we want to scuttle that? Rather let's hold on to that. what I expect those opposing zoning to say is that the south should look for a competent hand for the office of governor and not oppose the south from producing the next governor, truth is competency can't be sacrificed on the alter of zoning, as there's no Senatorial District with the monopoly of competency. We from the south will put our best foot out, just as we did in 1999 through governor Donald Duke. We will look at their manifestos couple with other criteria and produce the best and ensure that the manifesto is implemented to the end." He concluded