BY EDMOND ODOK, ABUJA – Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Board, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba has chided opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for cheating Cross River State in its 16 years governance of the country.
Listing the loss of 76 oil wells to Akwa Ibom State and the Bakassi peninsula to Republic of Cameroon among huge social dislocation and financial pains inflicted on the State by PDP, Senator Ndoma-Egba said the party does not deserve any sympathy and has no moral right to demand electoral support from Cross Riverians.
“It was under the PDP that we lost Bakassi and also lost 76 oil wells. It was under the PDP that we lost the hosting right of the National Sports Festival”, he said.
The former Senate Leader, seeking a return to the National Assembly as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Cross River Central Senatorial district, stated that time has come for the State to reciprocate President Buhari’s good gestures since inception of the APC-led federal government in May 2015.
Senator Ndoma Egba told journalists at his Apo office in Abuja that though Cross River gave the President a paltry 28,000 votes during the 2015 presidential polls, it has benefited immensely from the APC administration.
He said given that Governor Ben Ayade is always claiming closeness to Mr President, the State must show gratitude by mobilizing votes for him in next year’s presidential election.
The NDDC Board Chairman noted that the sentiments expressed during the 2015 polls in the South South geo-political zone over former President Goodluck Jonathan no longer exist there since nobody from the zone is seriously in the 2019 presidential race.
According to him, the zone was a traditional PDP stronghold because of ex-President Jonathan’s factor, adding; “There was that underlining sentiment that our son was contesting. But today, we don’t have that situation and we don’t have anybody who is contesting from that zone.”
The former lawmaker said the political permutations have now changed because; “The two major candidates are from the same region and the same religion. So, that sentiment will not be there. Take the example of Cross River State. In 2015, President Buhari got a paltry 28,000 votes and in spite of the low level of support; see what he has done for Cross River”.
“Cross River remains the only state that he has visited twice. The state is well represented in government. We have the Chief Justice of Nigeria even though he is not a politician. You can’t run away from the fact that he became Chief Justice under President Buhari, but anything could have happened.
“The Head of Service of the Federation is from Cross River State; the Chief of Naval Staff; Auditor General of the Federation; Minister of Niger Delta; Chairman, NDDC Board; and the Special Adviser on Prosecution are all from that state, in addition to Chairmen of boards, all for a paltry 28,000 votes” he said.
Calling out the PDP’s scorecard in its 16 years reign at the federal level, the APC Senatorial candidate said; “What was the record under PDP? The best we ever had as a State under the PDP was when we had Kanu Agabi as Minister and Senator Liyel Imoke as Special Adviser. These are arguments that will be taken to the field in Cross River. It will be the height of ingratitude for any Cross Riverian not to vote for President Buhari and it will be uncharitable ingratitude.
“Recently I had an interview with a radio station and I challenged the public. Any tarred road that was constructed in the last two years in Cross River, 90 per cent of the chances is that it was tarred by the NDDC or the Ministry of the Niger Delta.”
Senator Ndoma-Egba pointed out that “Any renovation of any school in the last two years, the chances are that it was done by either the NDDC or the Ministry of the Niger Delta. So, we have benefited a lot from this government. We also have our argument. What was the experience under the PDP government? It was one loss or the other for us as a state.
“Cross River at a time was paradise game under Donald Duke when we had the Cattle Ranch and the Obudu Mountain Race. But it was still under the PDP that the paradise was lost.
“These and many more are the arguments that we are going to confront the people with. The sentiments that our son is contesting is no longer there. We are now dealing with verifiable records which we are going to be dealing with and the records favour the President unequivocally and the APC”, he said. – Additional reports from The Nation
