By EMMANUEL UNA
IN Cross River State, apart from Governor Liyel Imoke, there are 22 other excellencies in waiting who are daily criss-crossing the length and breadth of the expansive state in long entourages to sell their blueprints to the people of the state.

This clan of excellencies cut across all spheres of human endeavour including lawyers, engineers, the clergy, medical doctors, administrators, bureaucrats and even job seekers who all feel qualified and capable of fixing things in the state   even when some of them constantly recited   the litany of   “ the state has no cash for now”   while they were holding political positions.

Each of these excellencies, 21 men and a lady, is upbeat, confident and   self assured of being the   next occupant of the Government House, Calabar.  And their supporters cannot wait to take up positions as aides, commissioners, etc, which translate into a free ticket to strut the   exalted and exotic corridors of the Government House located opposite the famous   Hope Wadell Institute  on Leopard Town Road in the heart of   Calabar.

Ugbo, Ayade, Idagbo and Ugbe

Significantly, the bulk of the aspirants are political acolytes of Senator Imoke or   “family members” of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and are all from the Northern Senatorial District of the state where the position of governor of the state in 2015 has been zoned to.

The aspirants

Of the 22, seven were members of the State Executive Council until September 29 when the governor asked them to resign and face their governorship aspiration.

In this league are Mr Mike Anyia (Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Mr Legor Idagbo (Commissioner for Works), Mr Peter Ojie (commissioner for Local Government), Mr Patrick Ugbe, (commissioner for Youth and Sports Development), Mr Gerald Ada (Special Adviser on Trade and Investment) and    Mr. Peter Oti (Special Adviser on Budget). Other aspiring   family members who have worked closely with the governor though were not members of his cabinet when he asked those contesting to resign include   Barrister Fidelis Ugbo, (former SSG and now secretary of the National Planning Commission), Mr Julius Okputu (former commissioner for Environment), Mr Fidel Egoro (deputy state chairman of the PDP) and Professor Ben Ayade (the serving Cross River North senator).

Level playing field

Significantly, these people are   beneficiaries of an open political system enthroned by Governor Imoke in the last seven years with the objective of according   everyone a   level playing field on the political turf of the state.   It is also through   this open platform   that people   like Tanko Ashang (NEMA legal adviser), Mr Joe Agi (SAN),   Mrs Alice Achi (former banker), Engineer Emmanuel Ubi, Barrister Israel King Murphy,   Rev Father Eworo and several others who in other climes may have   been   considered outsiders are effectively in the governorship race without anyone giving them a cold shoulder or seeing them as underdogs.

The level playing field in the state is such that each aspirant including those for the Senate, House of Representatives and the State House of Assembly are touring   their constituencies to present their blue prints and manifestos in order to garner support from caucus members and all stakeholders.

These   tours and   debates have proven to be very educative, enlightening and entertaining, which both the aspirants and caucus members look forward to as   marks are awarded to each contender by the various members of the caucus   to ensure that at the end of the day the best will be given the chance to   take charge of the state’s affair at both the executive and legislative levels.

“What we   in the Zonal Caucus are doing is to ensure that we get the best.   That is why we are giving everyone who wants to be the governor of the state after   Senator Imoke an opportunity to sell himself to the people. The person should be someone who can sustain   the high standard the state has already attained that is why we are engaging the aspirants in healthy interactions and at the end of the day we shall submit the names of the people we consider top to the party to decide what to do next,” Chief Linus Okom, the Chairman of the Northern Caucus told   Vanguard.

He said though the caucus is not vested with the powers to screen or adopt any one as the party’s candidate, the   governor has given firm instructions that nobody should be unduly favoured in the contest as the people will have to decide who will be his successor and the presentation of blueprint is the most appropriate way to achieve that.

“We are all living witnesses to how Imoke and Duke before him, worked hard to achieve their mandate and it is incumbent on us to ensure a bottom up approach which will give the people a significant say in who becomes their governor in 2015,” he added.

A member of the Central Senatorial District Caucus, Barrister Daniel Ugbama said the presentation of blue print by the aspirants at all the elective positions   underlines the principle of fair play which the state has adopted in choosing those to be standard bearers of the PDP at all levels in the state. “We have heard people come here to tell us that they are bureaucrats, some say they are technocrats but what the state needs at this point   is essentially a leader who will be able to rally all the academics, bureaucrats, intelligentsia and technocrats together to move the state to the next level.”

He said the plethora of aspirants jostling for elective positions boosts the confidence of many people that they will not be short changed or unfairly treated. “Nobody will want to participate in a system where he is not sure he will be given   a fair opportunity but since the process has beeen made open by Imoke, many people will try their hands on being elected and if they do not succeed,   they will not complain since they know nobody cheated them”.

Imoke’s path of neutrality

Basically the governor himself has toed the path of neutrality in the processes of electing his successor.   He has continuously insisted that subverting the process to favour someone   would be immoral and tantamount to trivialising the position of governor.

Reiterating this position on October 1  while addressing stakeholders and elders of the state in his house during the state merit award ceremony, Imoke said those waiting for him to anoint them as his successor will have to   continue to wait until a new governor is sworn-in without their ambition coming to fruition.

He stressed that the office of governor is such an important position where the person occupying it will take charge of the affairs of the lives of millions of people and should therefore not be toyed with just for personal interest.

“The office of governor holds the destiny of 3.5 million people and as such every aspirant must convince us of his capacity and the knowledge of the people because being a governor is beyond being just a nice guy.”

“The challenge we faced to build the new Cross River we have today should not be forgotten and if   we   make a governor by appointment, the governor will owe allegiance to his masters because today I can see public office holders serving   themselves by repeatedly turning themselves into contractors and beneficiaries of everything with nothing left to trickle down to the people.”