The former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), has finally indicated his readiness and willingness to the governing All Progressives Congress party having earlier resigned his membership of his former party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
He paid the Cross River State Secretariat of the APC a visit and was received by the acting state chairman of the APC, John Ochalla.
Senator Ndoma-Egba who, spoke in clear terms stating his readiness to join the APC saying that the era when Cross River State was easily referred to as a one party state was no longer tenable.
He said, “I am here today not to say I have joined or have not joined the party. But I am here to reciprocate the various courtesy calls that has been paid to me by the party. So let me make one in return. I am here also to further consultations that have been going on in the course of the several visits.”
He said he was ready to be formally received into the party and will do so following the due process and the constitutional provisions of the APC.
“For a long time, it was said that Cross River State was a one party state. For a long time it was but it is no longer tenable today, because from the action of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who created a large pool of IDPs (which he defined as Internally Displaced Politicians) who still have political life in them and must continue in the or politics. So the IDPs must find a platform to carry on with their politics.
As we continue consultations with you I want to assure you that we are aware the party has a constitution and we must be bound by it. We want to come to the party with values of integrity, fair competition and a level playing ground.
Fortunately PDP has given a template of what should not be done, that impunity is not sustainable. They have had to pay a high price for impunity. Whether they have learnt lessons from their impunity is what I don’t know.
We want to come when we come to join you offer the people of Cross River State a choice since a one party state is no longer tenable. Our desire is to be able to give the people of the state a choice because politics is about choices and we can no longer continue with this mantra of one party state.”
Earlier in his remarks, the acting state chairman of APC in Cross River, John Ochalla described Ndoma-Egba’s visit and coming into the APC as a great asset and value which will help strengthened the party in the state and beyond. He assured him that the state secretariat will work with other authorities of the party to receive him and many others formally into the party in no distant future.
Sen. Ndoma-Egba was later led by the leadership of the state Party to pay a visit to the Vice Chairman of the party, South-soith zone, Prince Hillard Ettah.