Ex-Senate leader seeks APC platform to further political career

Former Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba visited the State Secretariat of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Calabar on Monday for consultation over a platform to further his political career.

The senator had earlier dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which offered him the platform three times to represent Cross River Central Senatorial District.

He said that although he had not formerly declared for the APC, he was at the secretariat for consultation and to reciprocate their gesture.

Ndoma-Egba said that it was obvious that Cross River was no longer a one party state because there were so many internally displaced politicians from the PDP stock in the state.

"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 have 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.

"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 of the action of PDP which created a large pool of Internally Displaced Politicians.

"These politicians still have political life in them and must continue in 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,'' he said.

The ex-senate leader also paid a a courtesy visit to Mr Hilliard Etta, the South South Zonal Vice Chairman of the APC.

He said: "In making this courtesy call we are prepared now to be received, so when you give us a date, we will be available, willing to be received .

"But let's assure members of the party that I am not coming to hijack the party but I am very willing and I am available to be hijacked by the party.”

"I want to assure that we want to join the party to strengthen the party; we will be coming in to contribute our quota and to offer our people what they did not find elsewhere.

"We believe that democracy ought to have taken roots within the political parties.

"When you have dictatorship within the party and you want to offer the rest of the country democracy, you cannot offer what you do not have.

"So for you to offer democracy beyond the party, the party must be democratic but unfortunately, you must give people the opportunity to achieve their potentials to the fullest.''

Etta, who welcomed the former senate leader to the party secretariat, said that Cross River people had been taken for a ride for almost 16 years politically.

He said that the party would always welcome people and politicians to its fold to offer a credible opposition and win elections.