No democracy without opposition -Imoke

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
CALABAR—GOVERNOR Liyel Imoke of Cross River State has said that democracy will not survive without opposition parties.

Imoke who is seeking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ticket for the April 2012 governorship election in the state, stated this when a socio-political group known as Central Identity Youths Forum, CIYF, paid him a visit in his office.

Speaking through his Special Assistant on Media/Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Omini Oden, the governor said: “We need opposition as a government to succeed, provided it was played according to the rules of the game and not opposition of the pockets, mischief and calumny.”

He promised to ensure that opposition parties in the state have level playing ground and equal opportunity with the ruling party so as to strengthen the democracy.

According to him, there was equal opportunity for members of his party, the PDP, who had indicated interest to contest against him for the party’s ticket slated for January 13, 2012, and assured that he would make sure that there was no violence throughout the election.