Mbu Shuns PDP Campaign

Chief Matthew Mbu, Nigeria’s first Ambassador to the United Kingdom was absent when the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Cross River State inaugurated the campaign committees for the April election.

Mbu, whose name topped the list of the Elders Campaign Forum, was absent and did not give any reason for his absence.

Ekpo Okon, the Chairman of the party in the state said he informed the elder statesman about his appointment as the Chairman of the Elders Campaign Forum.

A source close to the ambassador hinted that the man may have shunned the PDP and any of its “so-called appointments” because his son, Matthew Mbu Jr. is running for the office of governor of Cross River State.

The source said “it will be absurd to have one’s son contesting for the post of governor on another platform and his father hobnobbing with another party for whatever reason.”

Meanwhile, reactions have continued to trail the federal high court ruling that there will be no governorship election in Cross River  and four other states in April.

Mr. Cletus Obun, the chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, as well of Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, in the state, said opposition in the state is studying the judgment before deciding whether to appeal or not.

“We have not ruled out appealing against the judgment but this will come after our lawyers have obtained copies of the judgment, studied it to advise us appropriately,” he said.

On Matthew Mbu being named the chairman of the Elders Campaign Forum for the PDP while his son is running for the same office with Imoke, the ACN chairman said: “What is wrong if the son of your friend has become governor and your son too is becoming governor? Do you not know that Dr. Samuel Imoke and Chief M. T. Mbu were contemporaries and political acolytes of Chief Azikiwe? So he cannot support Imoke against his own son”.

Speaking at the inauguration which turned out to be a celebration of his victory at the High Court for the completion for his tenure, Governor Imoke said his detractors and enemies who thought they were distracting him from focusing on governance, are the losers.

“We have rolled out the campaign machine for a robust door-to-door, house- to -house and village to campaign, now that the court has given us additional time for a marathon campaign that will run till August 2012 , they should be ready to come along with us because this time, the boys shall be separated from the men,” he said

Imoke, who made no mention of the court case brought by the PDP against INEC for rejecting its list of candidates, said the opposition is waiting to achieve victory at the court but that should not be the case, as victory should be in the field.

“Cross River State is the only place where our efforts in transforming lives is matchless, though we may be short on propaganda, the projects are there for all to see,”

Imoke said though his election has been shelved till 2012, he still, remains the leader of the PDP campaign train in the state.

“Nothing has changed as we shall go round the state to preach the message of love to our people. Though they say we have 250 ethnic tribes in the state, I believe we are one people, the state has never been more united than now”.

The governor rounded off his speech by saying that during the campaign for the April election, he will take time to commission 100 electricity projects, 506 kilometers of new roads, school and hospital projects across the state executed by his administration.

Speaker after speaker lampooned the opposition for “not joining the PDP umbrella”.

Nothing was heard about the hospitals and the Cross River State University of Technology teachers who have been on strike since the first week of November, 2010.

—Emma Una/Calabar

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