Cross River: Pan- Ejagham Renaissance Forum charges guber, senatorial candidates on good governance
Pan-Ejagham Renaissance Forum (PANERF) has engaged and Charges Governorship, Senatorial Candidates for good governance
Pan-Ejagham Renaissance Forum ( PANERF) a non-governmental, Civil society, Non-Partisan, developmental umbrella body of Ejagham ethnicity nationalities in Cross River State and Diaspora has organized a town-hall meeting to engage and charged all 2023 governorship and Senatorial candidates on deepening democracy and good governance.
The event which is tagged, “2023 Polls, deepening democracy, governance and transformational leadership through ethnic nationalities engagement” took place on Tuesday, 21st February 2023 at the Palace of the Ndidem of the Quas and the Paramount Ruler of Calabar Municipality.
In his opening address, the chairman of Pan-Ejagham Renaissance Forum, Cross River State, Ntufam Etim Solomon, maintained that the main purpose of the Townhall meeting is to contribute their quota toward deepening democracy, promoting good governance and purposeful leadership in the state.
He said, “The town hall engagement, is our contribution to deepening democracy, good governance and purposeful leadership in the state. We are very hopeful, that at the end of the day, the objective for which this engagement was conceived would have been realized” Ntufam Solomon stressed.
The chairman of the occasion, Ntufam Prof. Roland Ndoma Egba, former Chief Medical Director of University Teaching Hospital and Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, opined that Nigeria’s history will be rewritten after the 2023 elections.
His words, “Like it or not, after the 2023 general elections, after this 2023 elections Nigeria is likely not going to be the same again, politics, as we know, is about interest politics is about constituencies, I therefore, charged all the candidates to play it by the rule”
In their submissions, all the senatorial and governorship candidates who attended the forum promised to play the game by the rule, while presenting their manifestos to the forum ensuring that they will provide dividends of democracy to the good people of Cross River if elected.
They, therefore, solicit massive votes from the Ejagham nation and other Crossriverians in the general elections coming up on February 25th and March 11th 2023 respectively.
Candidates who attended the event include, Mr Effiong Nyong, Governorship candidate, African Democratic Congress, ADC, he also uses the opportunity to declare support for the Labour Party, and LP presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi.
Mr Joseph Coco-Bassey, Young Progressive Party, YPP
Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC represented by Augustine Oqua, Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade on Religious Affairs.
Others are Mr Asuquo Ekpeyong Jr. All Progressive Congress, APC Southern Senatorial candidates.
Mr Ukpong Chwuang, Southern Senatorial candidate under the platform of All Progressive Grand Alliance.
The Chairman of the Central Planning Committee and Vice Chairman Pan-Ejagham Renaissance Forum, ESV. Asikpo Bassey in his closing remark thanked the Royal Fathers of the Quas and other participants for honouring their invitations. He also charges the participating candidates not to fail the people if they become elected in the coming elections. He commended the for their selfless support for the advancement of the Pan-Ejagham Education Trust Fund.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of the Keynote Address by Dr Edor John Edor titled: 2023 Polls: Deepening Democracy, Governance and Transformational Leadership through Ethnic Nationalities Engagement.
