By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
A pro-Otu support group, the Neighbor2Neighbor 4 Sweet Prince Political Network, has knocked the governorship ambition of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Sir Arthur Javis Archibong, saying that he is at best fit for a councillorship position and not the exalted office of the governor of Cross River State.
The group’s Director General, Dr. Bobby Ekpenyong, made the claim during a media parley in Calabar, stressing that the state cannot be handed over to a political neophyte who has never served in any capacity.
He said that governance is not experimental and not a child’s play that should be left in the hands of persons who have not gone through the ranks, insisting that Javis must start from the grassroots if he is serious about leadership.
Ekpenyong said, “Jarvis has no political experience, has not served in any political capacity. He needs to go through the ranks as governance is not experimental or a child’s play.”
He stated that while Javis may be popular in the private sector and on social media, such popularity does not translate to capacity to govern a complex state.
The DG stressed that the PDP candidate should first seek a councillorship position to learn the rudiments of governance before aspiring to Government House.
He added, “To govern Cross River, you need to understand civil service, you need to understand budgeting, legislative engagement, party management, federal allocation politics and grassroots mobilisation. These are not things you learn on social media. You learn them by service.”
Warning that electing an inexperienced candidate would set the state many years backward, Ekpenyong stressed that leadership is built through service.
He added, “Cross Riverians should look at antecedents. Who was there when we were building the state? Who served as councillor, council chairman, commissioner, SA, DG? Governance is continuum. You don’t jump from nowhere to Government House.”
