The unsolicited
appointment of some persons into the campaign organisation of Cross
River State governor, Liyel Imoke, appears to be fetching him bashing
rather than applause, following the outright rejection of such
appointments by some of the selected people.
Last weekend, the
governor’s campaign organisation went on air to announce the names of
members and non-members of the PDP into his campaign team without first
seeking their consent. This infuriated those not interested, who then
told the governor to keep his appointment.
They include Mr.
David Okon, running mate to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
governorship candiate in the state and former minister of finance under
the Sani Abacha administration, Mr. Anthony Ani, and a few others. The
inauguration of those appointed into the various committees of Imoke
Campaign group is expected to take place this week in Calabar. The
governor is expected to launch his campaign this week too.
A member of the ACN
and its candidate for Calabar Municipal Council/Odukpani, Eyo Nsa Ekpo,
said there was no way his party’s deputy governorship candidate would
have accepted such an appointment “because he sees it as a ploy to
scuttle his gubernatorial ambition and thus incapacitate the opposition
led by the ACN.”
“Imagine the
governor going on air to announce those working for his re-election
without seeking their consent first. He thinks everybody belongs to the
PDP. Imoke is just afraid of the opposition and doing everything to
polarise the ranks of those against his second term bid,” Mr. Ekpo
said.
However, it was
gathered that the governor decided to add Mr. Okon to his campaign team
because before this year, he was a member of the PDP and helped to
sponsor the election of some candidates in the August 28, 2010 local
government elections in the state.
A businessman, he
allegedly gave in to pressure early this year when the opposition gave
him the running mate ticket. He expressed surprise that a personality
like Antony Ani could be drafted into the campaign group of Mr. Imoke
without the governor consulting with him first, and sees such an action
as lack of respect for the Efik traditional chief, adding that the
former minister cannot bend so low to solicit votes for Mr. Imoke.
Sources in Mr.
Ani’s family disclosed that the former minister has been out of the
country for over three months and is not likely to return to honour the
appointment. They added that he will not accept the appointment, as
most members of the committee were strange political bed fellows.
Another curious choice as member of Mr. Imoke’s campaign
organisation is Mr. Matthew Mbu, Nigeria’s former envoy to UK and
minister during the First Republic, and whose son (Matthew Mbu, Jnr.)
is the governorship candidate of the ACN in the state. Both Mr. Imoke
and the ACN governorship hopeful are from Cross River Central
senatorial district. Most of the parties have their gubernatorial
candidates from this district and running mates from the southern
senatorial district.
