Reps member in Cross River dumps PDP, picks senatorial ticket in Labour Party
The Honourable Member Representing Akamkpa/ Biase Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Ntufam) Daniel Effiong Asuquo aka DANSUKI has resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and picked the ticket to contest a Senate seat under the platform of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections.
Asuquo in a letter to the PDP ward chairman in Akamkpa urban ward, Akamkpa LGA, Cross River State dated July 8, 2022, cited as the reason the stark contrast between what his people needed and the vested interest of a few persons in the party who pursue narrow and sectional interest as against the overwhelming interest of the masses.
Others according to him are the hypocrisy of the party in her refusal to endorse power rotation for the gubernatorial position while doing so for the deputy governorship position. This he said is the highest disregard for the people of the Southern Senatorial District coupled with the intentional exclusion of the Akamkpa / Biase federal constituency from the micro- zoning of positions between Efiks and non- Efik speaking federal constituencies despite the voting strength of the constituency aside being the economic belt of the state. The negation of the Back-to-south agenda to which he is committed is the basis for his decamping to the Labour Party.
He said, “I have never been pretentious about my beliefs and convictions when I declared my interest to vie for the governorship of Cross River State. I did that because I was convinced that my background, education, experience, training, connections and world view would help me turn around the fortunes of the State.”
According to him, the reactions and messages he has received from the people to change the status quo have prompted his desire to seek for and obtain the Labour Party (LP) ticket to contest for the Senate Position in the Southern Senatorial District in Cross River State in 2023.The Southern Senatorial Districtis is composed of Biase, Akamkpa, Odukpani, Calabar Municipality, Calabar South, Akpabuyo and Bakassi Local Government areas.
The senatorial aspirant while fielding questions from newsmen at the Labour Party (LP) secretariat in Calabar on Monday promised to replicate his aggressive developmental and empowerment programmes to change the narrative if elected. He was unanimously adopted by the Labour Party (LP) officials to beat the July 15, 2022, INEC deadline for submission of names of candidates by political parties for the 2023 elections.
Chief Ernest Obasse is the Labour Party governorship candidate in Cross River State.
By: Archibong Emmanuel
(Snr. Reporter)
