Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Cross River State, Alphonsus Eba, has said that irrespective of all the utterances made by a one-time governor of the state, Mr Donald Duke, during the electioneering campaigns, they will forgive and accommodate him.
Eba also said that they would also welcome and accommodate the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party, Ogar Osim, who has reached out to APC, congratulating the eventual gubernatorial winner, Prince Bassey Otu, as well as the PDP, Senator Sandy Onor, who is now addressing APC as brothers.
He told journalists at APC Secretariat in Calabar that their incoming government will cut across party divides.
Eba emphasised that at the end of all the electioneering brickbats, they are all brothers eager to contribute to the socio-economic and sociopolitical growth of the state.
“We’ve forgiven sinners like our former governor, Mr Donald Duke, for all that he said against ‘Back To South’ and the role he played before the election. We’ll accommodate him and those from other parties that contested against our candidate.
“Candidate of LP has congratulated our candidate over his victory and has said he’s willing to work with us. We’ll accommodate him. Even the PDP candidate who said he wants to move to the Election Petition Tribunal, he has addressed our candidate as his brother,” Eba said.
He reiterated that the Governor-elect Bassey Otu has since reached out to all, saying he will run an all-inclusive government where the best brains and best qualified would be engaged.
“We’ll be magnanimous in our victory. Every deserving and qualified indigene and even non-Cross Riverian will have a place in our government.”
Regarding the ongoing review of the electoral marks, Eba said, “where we didn’t do well, we won’t waste time at the tribunal.
“For PDP going to court to contest our victory, I would say it is a vain-journey.”
Eba maintained that Bassey Otu’s gubernatorial victory was like a referendum, and a consensus from people of the state from different ethnic groups voted massively for him.
He asserted the victory lends credence to the affable lifestyle he lives, stressing that God did it for them.