Yesterday, a long list of appointments were made yet again by the Acting President, President Yemi Osinbanjo. Out of curiosity i painstakingly ensured that I go through the list more than thrice to see if finally luck had smiled on an Obubra son or daughter but sadly,None.
This is not just sad but painful. It is because,here is a Local Government with perhaps one of the largest voting strength in the country. A Local Government that has most of its best in terms of administration and politics in APC. A Local Government where at a time the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was struggling hard to have an in road in to the State,produced the first ever House of Assembly member/Minority Leader in a keenly contested elections.
To say the Obubra chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Cross River State is one of the most cheated and disempowered chapters of the party is to be economical with the truth. It is actually the most cheated,disempowered and disrespected. If it is not,as some people would want to argue, why has an Obubra man not been found worthy for appointment inspite of the number of appointment the president Muhammadu Buhari led Government has so graciously given to Cross Riverians!
The truth is, those saddled with the responsibility and privilege to nominate names for appointments have since the inception of this administration given the Obubra/Mbembe man,the impression that,nobody possesses the requisite qualification to hold a Federal appointment. Whatever happens to a former Secretary to the State Government, Barr Johnson Ebokpo, former Minority leader of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon Alex Irek, Former National Assembly member, Chief Ernest Irek, Former Special Adviser to the Governor of Cross River State, Mrs Margret Ebokpo, Mr Cyprian Oyom, Dr Mathew Achigbe etc?
In their devilish and wicked plan not to allow any Obubra man rise to a major position of authority,some powerful forces are working tirelessly to ensure that Obubra never gets the State Chairmanship position that I hear has be zoned to them. This they are doing using some of our brothers who are willing to sell the entire LGA for peanuts.This is a complete gang up against a people that have committed no crime.
The fact is, as each day passes by, the ruling APC through some of its leaders in the State have continued to show open disdain for the Obubra/Mbembe people within their midst. They have continued to show signs of unwillingness to salvage Obubra from shackles of underdevelopment and backwardness. They have shown in very clear terms that, they are against the political and infrastructural growth of the Local Government.
For me,while I agree that each and every son and daughter of Obubra or Mbembe stock has the right to belong to any political party or organization he or she deems fit,as enshrined in the Nigeria constitution, I think that, the need for all, irrespective of party affiliations to begin to speak in one voice,adopt common positions as we gradually match towards 2019 has never been more sacrosanct.
We must begin to ask pertinent questions moving forward. Questions that has to do with the growth and development of Obubra and indeed, the Mbembe land.
If sincerely we desire a new Obubra,then now is the time to assess and reassess which political platform offers us such an opportunity. An opportunity to be independent, an opportunity for an Mbembe man to be Senator, Minister or Ambassador etc, an opportunity to freely choose our leaders and an opportunity to develop our people and our Local Government.
Now is the time to use our number, now is the time to show the naysayers that, we can actually sit and agree on a common position, Now is the time to show those of them who think that they can always buy our votes with used cars and peanuts anytime the need arises that old things have passed away...
I insist a New Obubra is possible.
Richard Romanus
