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A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Comrade Obi Ojage has called for unity in the party in Cross River State, saying that it’s time for all stakeholders in the state to queue behind the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Prince Bassey Otu ahead of the 2023 general elections.

While insisting that all citizens cannot be governors at the same time, the former member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) argued that it must be one individual person a time.

Comrade Ojage in a statement on Friday maintained that “It is only when we say it as it is, then there will be mutual peace, otherwise, the backbiters will continue with their trade unabated”.

The fiery writer and communicator was reacting to the verdict of the Calabar Division of the Court of Appeal in appeal No. CA/C/337/22, filed by Senator John Owan Enoh (JOE) against the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Senator Prince Bassey Otu.

The court had affirmed Senator Prince Bassey Otu as the authentic APC Governorship candidate in Cross River State.

However, lamenting that people have not been fair to the APC gubernatorial candidate in the state, Comrade Ojage asserted that as one who has been fairly close to Prince Otu, “it will be difficult to turn a purely divine mission, with a clear perspective,” and devoid of ambiguities, “into something bizarre.”

Worried that through the pettiness and parochialism of some individuals who just wanted “to forcefully get involved” and ended up creating more problems and complication, which they’re incapable of solving, for the governorship candidate, beyond noisemaking and wishes “as if the situation is akin to a horse”.

According to the unrepentant Buharist, “Anything that has a beginning must surely come to an end.”

He maintained that “Life, like any other element under the Lord’s sun and moon, is never inelastic. It all comes in seasons.

“The litigation by JOE against the Prince has come to an end for sure. The human devils must go and rest.

“We must be allowed to breathe some fresh air. That is the real reason why Christ gave himself on the cross to die so we can live and be at peace.

“I am pretty sure that Senator John Owan Enoh has seen as I do, the danger of not allowing the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) to which he belongs to win the forthcoming Gubernatorial election in the state with Prince Bassey Otu as its candidate. This is no partisanship.

“The quality of our candidate speaks for itself. Just the same, if John were to be chosen. The two are the best you can find today in our state amongst those who have come out to contest, judging from all ramifications, using all parameters in judging”, he observed.

Calling for unity in the state to ensure victory for the APC in the 2023 governorship election, Comrade Ojage therefore appealed that all must at this stage “join hands to bring about a more robustly equipped leadership that Otu represents to become the next Governor of our dear state, after the outgoing Professor Ben Ayade. This is our joint responsibility to see that it comes to fruition.”

Appealing on Senator Owan Enoh to see to take the current situation as a sacrifice and join hands with Prince Otu, Comrade Obi Ojage said that “John must see this for what it is worth, as a sacrifice he must make in his individuality, singularly, to justify his call and election as one of the leaders of the state who has displayed obsequiousness, and extreme generosity and which deserves commendation and reciprocity in an atmosphere where there is conviviality.

“Those who may want to advise him anything to the contrary are not telling him the truth, and neither are they his friends.

“Leadership at the level of Governorship is ordained by the Almighty and no one else. And it is he that is chosen that eventually becomes Governor. Is not a matter of force, fight or imposition.

“Our people must fear the Almighty God and do have a conscience. Truth cannot be suppressed for too long”, he said while appealing to Senator Owan Enoh not to stretch the matter further.

The Court of Appeal had on Friday affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court in Suit No FHC/CA/CS/106/2022, delivered by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, on 24th October, 2022 that Senator Prince Bassey Otu was validly nominated by the APC as its Governorship candidate for the forthcoming 2023 Cross River State governorship election.