Let's campaign on capacity not ethnicity, C/River PDP guber candidate pleads

 Sen. Sandy Onor, 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River has enjoined all candidates to campaign on capacity and not on ethnicity.

Onor, currently representing Cross River Central in the Senate made the call on Friday in Calabar at a town hall meeting of major stakeholders and leaders of support groups of candidates.

Supreme reports that the town hall meeting was organised by Wanboneh Support Group in association with Movement for Better Nigeria, an NGO.

Onor dispelled a claim that zoning arrangement existed for the governorship seat in the state, and said the arrangement that had existed was that of ceding.

He noted that Cross River was at the verge of collapse and needed someone with capacity to turn things around for the better regardless of the person's ethnic group.

"Our state is experiencing dislocation and needs the best person to run it. What is needed is for someone who has the capacity to do so.

"We must soar beyond ethnicity; I believe in the oneness of our state. Where we are in our state today is to move beyond ethnicity and look for capacity.

"In the history of Cross River, no ethnic group is superior to the other; why are people trying to divide us. Let's promote our commonality and not the few things that divide us.

"Calabar is one city that is home to three ethnic groups and they have lived in peace.

"Ethnicity doesn't help anybody, let us all come together to rescue our state,'' he pleaded.

The PDP governorship candidate said that youths and women would play a prominent part of his administration if he emerges as governor in 2023.

He stressed that he believed in the capacity of youths to deliver when entrusted with positions of responsibility.

"I believe in youths and women and I chose a 41-year-old woman as my running mate.

"When I become the governor, I will be ethnic-blinded, if you have the capacity, I will bring you in.

"This is what distinguished Donald Duke's and Liyel Imoke's administrations from the rest.

"I have confidence in young people holding positions. So, it is going to be your government,'' he pleaded.

Onor also noted that youths needed to be empowered in a way that the empowerment outlived the government in power.

Speaking on national issues, Onor emphasised that Nigerians needed to return to agriculture.

"The way the country is today, we need to find something doing; we need to go back to the land; farming is the way to go,'' he stressed.

The town hall meeting has "Sustaining the unification of our party members in furtherance to building back the glory of our state and Nigeria through Atiku Abubakar and Prof. Sandy Onor'' as its theme.