A member of the House of Representatives for Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency of Cross River State, Dr Alex Egbona, on Monday, declared January 25 as a day of liberation for his constituency.

Addressing people of his constituency, the lawmaker said that God brought freedom and justice to his people on January 25, 2020, being the day his rerun election took place.

Egbona recalled the tortuous road to his rerun election victory after the first election was annulled by the elections petition tribunal and a rerun ordered by the court of appeal.

“I need not remind you of the pains you went through during the general election. You had given me your votes and I was declared the winner of that election by INEC. I was given my certificate of return and eventually sworn-in. But that mandate was temporarily truncated by the elections petition tribunal. It was the court of appeal that remedied the situation slightly when it ordered a rerun. That rerun took place exactly one year ago, on January 25, 2020.

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“On that day, I saw the real definition of love. I saw in you, an expression of the spirit of resilience and I saw a people who were willing to sacrifice their time, money and even life, so that the mandate you gave during the general election, can be confirmed, to prove to the world that you truly elected me as your representative. January 25, therefore, has become to me, our democracy day, our day of freedom, our day of justice. That was the day God opened doors of opportunities for us as a people.

January 25 represents the beginning of a new chapter in our struggle for development. It was the day you demonstrated your love for excellence, selfless representation. You showed the world that you were not willing to sell your birthright for a plate of porridge.

“As I remember events of the day, how you resisted power-drunk people in power, how you rejected blood money even when your pocket was empty, how you had to follow the ballot boxes to protect your votes, I have drawn the conclusion that you, the people of Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency are a special breed, a peculiar people, a special class of human beings who believe in and support justice, not minding what it would cost you.”

He lamented that he could not do so much after overcoming all the election hurdles and the litigations that followed because just when he was about to start work in full gear, COVID 19 set in and distracted him. But even at that, he said he had touched the lives of hundreds of his people within a few months and said that better days were ahead.

“Despite the oddities though, you will agree that there have been no dull moments. Many of our youths have been assisted to gain employment in federal government agencies. Our women have been assisted with cash to take their businesses to the next level. Victims of natural disasters have been assisted with food items and building materials through my effort. Some schools that were hitherto in very terrible shapes have been rehabilitated.

There have been street light projects in the constituency. A first of its kind empowerment programme was held last December and people went home with cash running into several millions of naira, sewing machines, tricycles, motorcycles, wrapper, exercise books and bags for school children, grinding machines of various types et cetera.

“I am happy to inform you that your constituency office has since been acquired, furnished to taste and is ready for full use. That is where I expect you to always drop messages for me. This is what never saw in the constituency.
A federal polytechnic is also on the way for the constituency.

“All these happened within a space of a few months and I can assure you that in the days ahead, you will see a lot more. My dream is that by the time I leave the seat, you should be able to judge me and ascertain if your labour of love was worth it. I intend to leave a standard in selfless representation for our people.”

Vanguard News Nigeria