Greetings to the good people of Yala Nation,
The press,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I feel the need to speak with you all again because of the many hopes, dreams, and aspirations that now hang in the balance if we let it swing in the mode it is right now.
As an ardent party man given the directives of the party, I support the party when it does right and caution when it derails from landmarks, for Patriotism is double faceted:
Patriotism is a love for one’s country (party) and a desire to make her better. To defend the party and its interest with devotion.
Patriotism, also recognizes when its nation (party) is wrong and fights to correct the wrong even as it supports that nation.
This is Key!
Thus, I commend you all who lend your voice in support of issues of eternal truth, of human rights and justice.
The Yala Chairmanship Campaign isn’t just one for me as Godwin Offiono ESQ.
The Yala Chairmanship Campaign is for you all,
– You all who live(d) and have families living in Yala,
– You all who work for the advancement of Yala,
– You all who have served the party,
– You all who have laboured for the party
– You all who contribute to building the community,
– You all who dream for a better Yala,
– You all who put the community that birthed you, nurtured you, bathed you in its water, fed you and contributed to the living being you are today, this campaign is for you all, – for if we sit back to let the entire party go wrong in such magnitude, then we have rewritten history and set a new precedent, a precedent that doesn’t care about the will of the people, a precedent that doesn’t have the people at the centre of it, a precedent void of humanity. A precedence that all you need to do to get a mantle of leadership is serve a few high class people and that’s all that matters, the people at the grassroots matter very little or don’t matter at all.
This is what your silence means!
This is what your sitting on the fence means for your people! This is what your support to the individual party system means for you now and your children born and yet unborn!!. For if you support what is now the party’s mandate you ruin your chances for a truly democratic and independent electoral system in Yala, in the entire Cross River State of Nigeria.
My stance against the party’s actions that led to the emergence of a named flag bearer isn’t about who the party has picked per say but how such consensus came about. What happened to equity and fairness? Where then lies the ideology of our party (the biggest party in africa) which is hinged on democracy which is define as “A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPE, BY THE PEOPLE and FOR THE PEOPLE” what then do we tag the process that culminated in the party flagging a consensus candidate? Isn’t this in a way insulting our sense of choice and robbing it in our face as a people who don’t have a say or can’t contribute even ideas in the process which leads to the choice of OUR LEADERS?
I would think a person thrown up or brought forth to take leadership position should be an individual with a track record of constant and persistent engagement with the people, a person who knows the people he should lead and the peculiarities of his territory. But can we say in all honesty that we have achieved that?
I know some would say, let us give him a chance and if he doesn’t deliver, we change him or never give him another chance, and I will say to you, that exact thought is why we still struggle in Yala, in Cross River State and wholly in Nigeria, as such trials have seen us grown older, some died within the trial period while the damage of the trial would take a better leader to fix, rather than moving forward, more years will be spent repairing rather than building…
Take a stuck of Yala, is this the Yala you dreamt of 20 years ago? Is Yala better now than it was 10 years ago? Why? Isn’t it obvious that they are some unseen forces fighting the collective unity and progress of Yala? They feel challenged by the united front and political sagacity expressed in years past and are bent on breaking us. Here they have over the years experimented by using “Divide and Rule principle”, imposition of candidates nay, leaders on us to break the ties which bind us. This is what our leaders have fallen into because of selfish interest. We have all kept mute and are observing table manners today not taking a cursory look into the future. Let’s not forget “A closed mouth is a closed destiny” for how long are we going to fold our hands and watch our collective sensibility insulted and say nothing?
Let it be known and placed on record that this isn’t a personal fight (however it is OK for any one to want to arm twist the essence of this write up for selfish gains).
As Godwin Offiono Esq., I’m reasonably comfortable. But the essence of life is to live for others, to let your living be hope for others. That is why I cannot join in this conspiracy of silence and walk away as if no wrong has been done.
Another reason I cannot just silently walk away is because of the confidence you all repose in me.
You are the HEROES we need because thinking along these lines is what calls forth great souls.
I urge you to continue to do so with all your might because the success recorded thus far has been because of you.
God bless you all who have stood and are still standing for what is right and just.
God bless Yala nation
God bless our party, the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP).
God bless Cross River State
God bless Nigeria
Thank you.