Senator Onor Declares Interest in Cross River Governorship

Professor Sandy Ojang Onor, who is a serving senator, yesterday officially declared for the number one seat of Cross River under People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

According to Onor, against the agitation of power shift to the South by majority Cross Riverians across the three senatorial districts, his declaration came after ‘thorough consultations’ with the leadership of his party in the State, and the support of his long time friend, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

The sitting Senator, representing Central Senatorial District of the State in the 9th Assembly, in his declaration, also recommended the ‘Osusu logic’ for the determination of governorship ticket in the State.

His Osusu logic assumes that the governorship ticket cannot return to South but rather starts from the North again after the expiration of Governor Ayade’s tenure.

He said:”We cannot compartmentalise our leadership, especially at this time where we need the best to lead us.The best can be found in any senatorial zone today. In fact if we were to go by Osusu logic, it is the North that should give us governor, because in Osusu, if South collects, Central collects, North collect, the next one will start with North”.

He explained that it is only a focus-less and desperate political party that can be desperate for such a desperate man, who is in a desperate situation politically… PDP is not a desperate political party. At this point I can’t tell whom the party candidate will be, but I can assure you that the governorship ticket of the party is going to South. Like Sandy has rightly said, the best can be found in every senatorial district. So, if Central produced their best in the person of Sen. Liyel and North produced.

“I am not here to condemn Sen. Sandy; it is his constitutional right to run for the governorship race, but the party cannot ignore the path of equity, which is the right thing to do. While his Osusu logic recommends a Northern candidate, unfortunately for him, the people of Northern senatorial district stand for core democratic tenets of justice and equity. No sensible Northerner will step forward for a contest that should naturally be among southerners. Prior to the expiration of Liyel Imoke’s tenure, Southern Cross River gave us unalloyed support, and we will stand by them to give us a Governor come 2023.”

We must maintain this political peace with unwavering subjection to meritocracy,” he said.

In another a reaction, Director General of a leading support group in the Central Senatorial District described the lawmaker’s governorship declaration as a frivolous trip over the sensibilities of Cross Riverians.

The source said: “We all know that Sandy on his own would not have declared for governorship seat without the backing of the Port Harcourt moneybag, no, not now that it is naturally the turn of the South. As a senator, he has under performed in all fronts, it is only sad that he is running helter-skelter in desperate pursuit of a governorship ticket, even with his very dim performance at the National Assembly. I see his move as a frivolous trip over the sensibilities of Cross Riverians.”

He said: “In all of these, whether on skeptical or idealistic direction, Cross Riverians are assumed to be more politically conscious now in making choices. Truth and objectivity are fully available within a world of things articulated and presented. The contrast between objectivity and subjectivity remains, but becomes more subtle: it is the contrast, for example, between a merely personal take on the world and that which can be defended as valid for all.”