Ekureku Won’t Develop If Politics of Acrimony Continues, Egbona Tells Kinsmen
4 min read
A member of the House of Representatives from the Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency of Cross River State, Dr Alex Egbona has lamented what he calls the politics of acrimony inherent in his native Ekureku clan and has warned that the community may experience stagnation in development if the trend is not checked.
He made the observation while delivering a lecture at the 2023 edition of the annual Ekureku summit, in the Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State.
Egbona who is the chairman of the House of Representatives committee on specialty healthcare recalled how prominent sons and daughters of Ekureku clan attained political power from the First Republic and noted that there was nothing the community would not achieve if they worked as a team.
In 2019 when Cross River State was entirely a PDP state, the lawmaker was the only one politician to win an election under the banner of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Even when the court sacked him and a rerun was conducted, he equally defeated the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who was the speaker of the state house of assembly at the time.
But at the summit, Egbona said some of his people connived with the opposition to work against his victory, even though they were in the minority. But he wondered why they had to sell their conscience for money and accepted to work against the interest of the community.
He said “During the just concluded election, some Ekureku people went to the extreme in their show of hatred for me. I was told the story of an Ekureku son who sacked one of his staff because the staff voted for me. Whenever I remember this, I feel sad for our community.
“You may also recall that some Ekureku people had the mind to accept whatever gratification from my opponent in the 2019 election to travel to Calabar as witnesses at the election tribunal, praying hard and working towards my removal from the House of Representatives.
“I remember how my own people joined others to fight against my progress and by extension, the progress of Ekureku. You are very well aware of how that matter ended. Unfortunately, almost half a billion naira that would have been spent in my usual way of helping our people and our community went into the court case initiated by my opponent and supported by some of my very own Ekureku people.
“But, I ask, why do some Ekureku people not like their own? Why do they try to bring down those who are busy working for the good of the community? I have been in the House of Representatives for about four years now. I dare say that Ekureku has experienced positive representation during these past years, even though I wasted almost a year in the courts, trying to defend my mandate.
“The projects and programmes I have embarked upon are very visible. Ekureku has got water projects through me. The community has got a road and solar powered electricity projects. I have equally attracted the federal government’s attention to the hitherto dilapidated health centre at Ngarabe. Today, we have a health centre we can be proud of. Our primary and secondary schools have either been renovated or built from the scratch.”
Egbona urged his people to forget selfish politicking and always strive to work for the good of the community. “I encourage Ekureku to always stand up for their own. Let us stop the politics of destruction in this land. Let us join our hands and build Ekureku. At every point in time, I need you, you need me and Ekureku needs us.
“We really need each other to be able to gain more grounds. If therefore, there be anyone here or elsewhere, that feels offended by my actions and inactions, I seek the person’s forgiveness. To err is human, to forgive is divine. We cannot move Ekureku to lofty heights if we are balkanised and walk at cross purposes, for whatever reasons.”
He said Ekureku had the numerical strength to dictate the pace of political power in the local government and even in the state, and urged the people to do away with acts that would be inimical to the growth and development of the area.
“With our numerical strength and unity of purpose, we can determine the political direction of Abi Local Government and even Cross River State. Let’s stop the politics of antagonism and witch hunting and always strive to be our brothers’ keeper,” he said.